EL SALVADOR · HEALTH
Key Facts
- The country El Salvador is a Central American country that draws tourists and has a large diaspora in the US.
- The count 6,550 suspected dengue cases in 2026 through 24 October, 27.7% above 2025’s probable cases.
- The toll 71 confirmed cases, 10 severe cases and 4 deaths in 2026 as of that count.
- The status Minsal, El Salvador’s Ministry of Health, has not declared an epidemic; no declaration was found.
- Power Index
El Salvador’s Ministry of Health, known as Minsal, reported 6,550 suspected dengue cases in 2026 up to epidemiological week 42, the public-health reporting week that closed on Saturday 24 October. La Noticia SV, a Salvadoran news site, published that figure on 6 November 2026.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease, so the count matters to tourists, travellers and Salvadorans in the US who visit family. Infobae, a Latin American news site, reported on 6 November 2026 that the 2026 total is 27.7% above the 5,130 probable cases of the same period of 2025.
What We Know
The latest single week brought 368 suspected cases, according to Infobae, 6 November 2026 and La Noticia SV, 6 November 2026. The same reports say the Minsal figures count 71 confirmed cases, 10 severe cases and 4 deaths in 2026.
La Noticia SV reported on 6 November 2026 that cases fell early in the year, with 214 in the first week of January and around 90 a week in February. It said weekly cases dropped to around 50 in May.
Cases then rose after the rainy season began in late June, La Noticia SV said on 6 November 2026. Rain favours breeding of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads dengue.
La Noticia SV listed these prevention steps on 6 November 2026: wash and cover water containers, and remove tyres and objects that hold water. It also lists cleaning gutters and drains.
Why It Matters
The 2026 total is 27.7% above the 5,130 cases of the same period of 2025, figures from Minsal show, as La Noticia SV reported on 6 November 2026. Infobae counts the 2025 figure as probable cases and the 2026 figure as suspected cases.
Infobae reported on 6 November 2026 a technical estimate of about 750 cases a week for formalising an epidemic declaration, against 368 in the latest week. The latest week is about half of that estimate.
Iván Solano Leiva, an infectologist (infectious-disease specialist) who spoke to the Salvadoran outlet TCS Noticias, as Infobae reported on 6 November 2026, said: “estamos en la antesala de una epidemia”, meaning “we are on the threshold of an epidemic”. Minsal has not declared one, and we found no declaration.
For travellers, the reports we found mention no travel restriction. Official health advisories come from Minsal, so its notices are the place to check before a trip.
Our earlier reports on El Niño and dengue in Latin American hospitals and on Peru’s warning that El Niño could fuel more dengue show the wider picture.
What to Watch
We found no officially confirmed date for Minsal’s next weekly bulletin or for any epidemic decision. The figure to follow is whether weekly cases move from 368 toward the roughly 750 cited by Infobae on 6 November 2026.
Reported, Not Confirmed
A Salvadoran daily newspaper report published on Saturday 14 November 2026 cites Minsal’s online dengue dashboard and data through epidemiological week 43, from 25 to 31 October. It says El Salvador has five dengue deaths in 2026 and suspected cases up 31.8% on the same period of 2025.
It also says DEN3, one of four dengue virus types, is the circulating type, with 80 confirmed cases on the dashboard against 77 in the surveillance report, and we found no explanation of the gap. We could not open Minsal’s site, which refused access, and found no second report of an additional death.
Until Minsal confirms them, we treat all of these figures as unconfirmed. The week 42 figures remain the count we can verify through two outlets.
What Is Not Known
Minsal has not detailed the age or circumstances of the four deaths in the reports we found, and we have no regional breakdown. We also do not know whether the week 43 figures are official, as covered in the unconfirmed block above.
More: El Salvador news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Dengue Cases Has El Salvador Reported in 2026?
Minsal’s week 42 figures, closed on Saturday 24 October 2026 and reported by Infobae and La Noticia SV on 6 November 2026, count 6,550 suspected cases, 71 confirmed cases, 10 severe cases and 4 deaths. Reported suspected cases are 27.7% above the 2025 probable cases.
Has El Salvador Declared a Dengue Epidemic?
We found no declaration by Minsal. Infobae reported on 6 November 2026 a technical estimate of about 750 cases a week for a declaration, against 368 in the latest week.
Why Are Dengue Cases Rising in El Salvador?
La Noticia SV reported on 6 November 2026 that cases rose after the rainy season began in late June. Rain favours Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads dengue.
Where Can Travellers Find Official Health Advice?
Official health advisories come from Minsal, El Salvador’s Ministry of Health. This article lists only the prevention steps La Noticia SV published on 6 November 2026 and gives no medical advice.
Sources: Minsal week 42 epidemiological figures (closed 24 October 2026), as reported by Infobae, 6 November 2026; La Noticia SV, 6 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error