AMERICA/PARAGUAY - Health authorities keep careful watch on Dengue which has already infected 27,000 people in the country

Asuncion (Agenzia Fides) - Sixty days after announcing a state of emergency the national health authorities in Paraguay have said they will continue to keep close watch to prevent the outbreak of dengue from spreading.
“The situation is under control, but the infection is still spreading and about 50 cases are registered every day”, said Gualberto Piñánez, director of the health ministry's health-watch service.
The epidemic which so far has killed 17 people and infected about 27,000 is slowing down in Asuncion, with only a few patches here and there.
In some parts of the capital, where the outbreak was worse, and the central region which includes towns around Asuncion, the level of contagion remains at about 4 per cent, whereas the ideal would be for it to fall to 1 per cent.
On 30 April the health ministry said the state of emergency was over. However daily heavy rains and high temperatures Paraguay favour the spread of the disease and careful watch must be kept because dengue is a regional problem and once the winter is over the infection may come from other countries where it is endemic, Brazil for example. (AP) 4/5/2007 Agenzia Fides; Righe:22; Parole:245)