Jalisco now ranks first nationwide in dengue cases, with 6,547 infections confirmed by the federal Health Ministry as of epidemiological week 38.
The state accounts for 10 percent of all dengue cases in Mexico, despite having only 6.3 percent of the country’s population.
State Health Secretary Fernando Petersen this week announced the strengthening of anti-dengue strategies, including reinforcing fumigation brigades in neighborhoods of Guadalajara where case numbers are above average. Seventy percent of Jalisco’s cases are in the metropolitan area, with 900 reported in Zapopan, the most affected municipality.
Jalisco Health Services Director Gabriela Mena said that in 2024, the agency’s brigades eliminated 1,900 large-scale breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito and removed 10,124 tons of materials (containers, pots, etc.) that could serve as potential breeding sites. The brigades also collected 93,000 old tires, which could have held standing water and become breeding sites.
Although people infected with dengue develop lifelong immunity to the specific serotype they contract, immunity to other serotypes can last as little as two months. This means the risk of a second infection, especially during an outbreak, remains high.
Petersen noted that 96 percent of the dengue cases in Jalisco are caused by serotype 3, which has not circulated in the state before. “Those who have had dengue before are likely to get sick again,” he said.