Dengue cases in Peru are surging, fueled by mosquitoes and high temperatures brought by El Niño

PIURA, Peru (AP) — Residents of Pedregal Grande, a poor neighborhood in the Peruvian city of Piura, receive water for only 30 minutes a day because of shortages, forcing them to collect it in plastic tanks that have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Scorching temperatures and a lack of air conditioning force people out of their homes and they say the mosquitoes descend on them, fueling an alarming spread of dengue in this city and the South American country.

"You go out to get some air and the mosquitoes arrive suddenly and attack you,” said Segundo Ramos, a Peruvian driver who got the disease several days ago.

“My neighbor has dengue, over there they also have dengue,” said Ramos, sitting in his one-story house, shirtless, with shorts and sandals as he endures the 97 degree (36 degree Celsius) temperature. “There are three or four sick neighbors within 100 meters.”