The Government of Nuevo Ecuador announced on March 23 that it mobilized more than 19,000 people as part of the Gran Minga Nacional contra el Dengue 2026. The main event took place in the Eloy Alfaro neighborhood of Tena, a city that had the highest incidence rate of dengue cases in 2025.
The campaign is part of the National Plan against Dengue, which aims to reduce disease transmission through community action and technical strategies. Officials reported a decrease in dengue incidence by nearly 57 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year. As of epidemiological week ten, there were 4,565 cases nationwide, with women aged 20 to 49 most affected.
Vice President María José Pinto led efforts to prioritize resources and personnel for this initiative. The minga involved more than one thousand health officials and citizens from various social sectors working across nine regional zones including cities such as Nueva Loja, Tena, Puyo, Portoviejo, Vinces, Sucúa, Yantzaza, Guayaquil and Quito.
A total of 329 brigades visited over one thousand neighborhoods or communities for physical inspections and detection of suspected cases. Local governments assisted with collecting tires and debris that could harbor mosquito larvae; more than two thousand tires were collected and around eighteen thousand water containers destroyed during the operation.
Lucy Baldeón, Vice Minister of Health who inaugurated activities in Tena said: “Today we are in Tena united by a common purpose: caring for the life and health of our communities and families. The minga is collective work and commitment; today that strength is at the service of fighting dengue.”
Patricia Amores, president of Barrio Eloy Alfaro added: “Any carelessness in our yards—tires or buckets—can become a risk to life. Today we raise our voices as a neighborhood to say: enough with dengue!”
Health workers provided information on safe water storage practices to prevent mosquito breeding among more than sixteen thousand residents reached during educational talks. Authorities urged anyone experiencing symptoms not to self-medicate but instead visit their nearest health center immediately.
The government stated its approach targets high-risk areas identified through territorial risk stratification. In total thirty-eight critical parishes accounted for forty percent of all cases last year across eleven provinces along coastal and Amazonian regions.
