Following a bout with dengue fever, the government in Honduras has declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. Sixteen people died due to the illness, while 12,000 are being treated for dengue.

According to Salvador Pineda, the Health Minister, enacting a state of emergency for dengue is a way of dealing with the condition and making it a priority. With time, Honduras hopes to prevent and regulate factors linked to the disease and combat mosquitoes spreading dengue.

Mr. Pineda said that dengue cases have been registered in more than 50% of Honduras municipalities. Experts say that dengue fever is four times more prevalent than thought.

Two Hondurans lost their lives to dengue in 2012, and no deaths were reported in 2011. However, the disease took a major toll on Honduras in 2010, with 83 people losing their lives to dengue and approximately 66,000 had the illness.

Symptoms of dengue fever include nausea, joint pains, fever and nausea. When the disease is exscacerbated, it can lead to enlargement of the liver, internal bleeding, and stall the circulatory system and its functions.

According to the WHO, the elevated numbers are in line with the prevalence of dengue in developing countries like India. The organization which provides relief and aid to developing countries was not surprised by the higher incidence of dengue.

Raman Velayudhan, WHO’s global dengue co-ordinator told BBC News, "We fully agree the spectrum of dengue is very wide and there was every chance we were missing cases," reports BBC News.