Dengue Cases In Brazil Quadruple Ahead Of Vaccine Campaign

(CTN News) – Several times more cases of dengue fever have been reported in Brazil since January 1 compared with the same period last year, according to government data released on Saturday ahead of the launch of a vaccination campaign.

According to the latest figures available from the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s database, 262,247 probable cases were reported in the first four weeks of 2024, compared to 65,366 in the same period last year.

According to Fabio Baccheretti, president of the National Council of Health Secretaries, high temperatures have contributed substantially to the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

It is a new and determining factor, he told AFP, to attribute the record temperatures at the end of last year to the El Nino phenomenon.

A total of 29 people have died of dengue fever this year in Latin America’s largest country, with a further 173 deaths being investigated for possible links to dengue fever.

Approximately 100 million to 400 million people worldwide are infected with mosquito-borne dengue annually, which can cause hemorrhagic fever. However, most cases are mild or asymptomatic, according to the World Health Organization.

“We are seeing that dengue is spreading in previously dengue-free areas of Brazil, so we must closely monitor this development,”Baccheretti  advised.

Due to the increased number of cases, many metropolitan areas in Brazil are already experiencing strain on their health services.

Next week, a field hospital will begin receiving dengue patients in the capital district of Brasilia.

There have been more than 88,587 probable cases reported in southeast Minas Gerais, the second most populous state in Brazil.

A campaign against disease-spreading mosquitoes is underway outside the state capital of Belo Horizonte. Teams of fumigators are going door-to-door.

Each member is equipped with a gas mask and wearing white coveralls from head to toe.

There are times when it is difficult to gain entry into people’s homes, but they are beginning to understand that there are numerous cases around them, according to supervisor Katia Batista.

It was announced two weeks ago that the Brazilian government would be conducting a free vaccination campaign targeting 3.2 million people during the month of February, with priority being given to children between the ages of 10 and 14, the group with the highest number of hospitalizations.

There is, however, a shortage of vaccine due to a shortage of supply from the manufacturer, Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, according to Brazil’s health ministry.

Approximately 6.5 million doses of the two-dose vaccine will be administered to the nation of 203 million people this year.

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