The announcement was made by the Dengue Program Director, Dr. Roxana Araujo, who said that they receive reports of between 80 and 90 cases each week. Dr. Araujo specified, “If you compare this with the incidence of patients who were seen at week 30, with 6,000 cases, the reduction was 94 percent in Honduras.” The Program Director said that this reduction is significant, as there has not been such a drop in 10 years of dengue reporting.

Additionally, the Director of the Dengue Program announced that they will take early control of the disease during 2011, continuing with the cycles of spraying in Honduras.

The Central District Municipality was most affected in 2010, with Tegucigalpa reporting the highest percentages of both classic and hemorrhagic dengue. This prompted the government of Honduras to declare an emergency in the country several months ago. An educational program was launched, teaching the general public and school aged children about preventative measures such as cleaning up stagnant water around the home. The government increased spraying of neighborhoods, and the health department inspected public sites for compliance with anti-dengue measures.

Dr. Araujo acknowledged that the success of the dengue reduction was due in a large part to the establishment of an inter-agency commission by President Porfirio Lobo Sosa to combat the disease.