Lima-based BBC correspondent Dan Collyns reports that 246 children have died from pneumonia and other respiratory infections so far this year in Peru’s southern Andes.
According to reports, this year freezing temperatures arrived about three months earlier than usual. The deaths are attributed to extreme freezing temperatures and strong winds.
Reports also refer to aid workers’ warning of more hypothermia and more deadly respiratory infections due to prolonged exposure to the cold.
Most of the victims are reported to have been those from the malnourished background. Besides, Peru’s southern highlands are marked by an utter lack of healthcare services and widespread poverty.
Although the government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas, more people are likely to be victims. Defending himself, Peru’s Health Minister Oscar Ugarte has accused his regional officials of not working efficiently on the crisis.
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