Jalisco health authorities have noted a sudden spike on the number of cases of mosquito-transmitted dengue in the past week, with 196 classic and 84 hemorrhagic cases registered.
Health Secretary Jaime Agustín Gonzalez Alvarez put the increase down to the reduction in rainfall and promised to beef up prevention measures in vulnerable parts of the state. The figures are considered to be only a sample of the actual number of cases, since many doctors often do not notify authorities of patients with the virus or fail to diagnose it correctly. The symptoms, that include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, are often confused with flu. The state of Jalisco lies in 12th place in the national figures for dengue with 1,925 reported cases.