Current Dengue Outbreak in Argentina Leads to Mosquito Repellent Shortage
Amid the mounting anger over the repellent shortage in Argentina, the government, which is already battling sky-high inflation levels, was forced to intervene.
Shortage of Mosquito Repellent
The dengue outbreak in Argentina has led to a shortage of mosquito repellent. As the country deals with its worst dengue crisis in recent years, mosquito repellents have been sold out in virtually all of the stores across the capital city of Buenos Aires. The repellents are being sold for exorbitant prices online, in some cases as much as 10 times the retail price.
Impact on Citizens
More than 120,000 cases of dengue have been recorded so far in the 2023/24 season. Rampant hoarding and surging prices of repellents have stoked desperation among citizens.
A shop in Buenos Aires shared a message in Spanish- “No hay repelente”- which meant there was no repellent. Shoppers were seen descending on an employee opening new boxes of bug spray, snatching up stock before he could place a single bottle on a shelf.
Speaking to the Associated Press, 42-year-old Ana Infante said that she had been to at least 30 pharmacies all over Buenos Aires and there were no repellents. “All we have is this,” she said, raising her swatting hand.
Marta Velarde, a 65-year-old shopowner in the capital city, recalled how a distraught customer recently threatened to punch her in the face when she said that there was no repellent left. “I feel helpless because I know I can’t do anything. You have no explanation and people are very aggressive,” Velarde said.
Government Intervention
Authorities lifted import restrictions on foreign-made mosquito repellents to boost supply and announced they would ramp up production at local labs to combat the shortage. Health Minister Mario Russo mentioned that producers have increased their capacity to produce repellents.
Meanwhile, citizens are resorting to homemade methods to keep mosquitoes away. Buenos Aires’ municipal health minister Fernán Quirós hosted a workshop instructing residents how to make repellent at home with herbs and boiled essential oil.
