Brazil reports 1 million dengue cases in 2 months
The Brazil Ministry of Health (MOH) reports the number of total dengue cases in the country has topped 1 million in the first two months of 2024. From January 1 through February 29, the MOH has reported 1,017,278 probable cases of dengue. In addition, 214 deaths from the disease are confirmed and another 687 deaths are under investigation.
Nationally, the incidence rate in the country is 501 cases for 100,000 population.
There are now eight states declaring a dengue emergency with São Paulo being the latest. 186 municipalities have issued emergency declarations.
Minas Gerais leads in the absolute number of probable cases (352,036) among the states. Concerning the incidence rate, the Federal District reports 3,612.7 cases per 100,000 population.
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Dengue and pregnant women
The number of dengue cases in pregnant women increased by 345.2% in the first six weeks of this year, compared to the same period in 2023, according to epidemiological data from the Ministry of Health released Friday.
“This increase represents a worrying public health situation, considering the high risk of serious complications, both for mom and their babies. Severe forms of the disease, such as dengue shock, dengue hemorrhagic fever and death, pose risks to pregnant women, while perinatal complications include prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction and fetal death,” the ministry said.
Vaccine campaign not likely to be successful-Scientists
In response to the dengue crisis, Brazil has become the first country to roll out a public vaccination campaign against dengue last month.
Scientists in Brazil warn the effort is too modest to solve the immediate crisis. “Very few people are being vaccinated. To have an impact on the rates, we would need to have mass vaccination,” says Ana Lúcia de Oliveira, an infectious-disease specialist at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul in Campo Grande, Brazil. And even widespread vaccination won’t defeat the disease unless basic sanitation problems are addressed, researchers note.
For example, in the Federal District, only 32% of children aged 10 and 11 were immunized after 20 days after the start of the vaccination campaign. In Rio de Janeiro, the numbers are worse—only 18% of children aged 10 and 11 were taken by their guardians to health units in the city to receive the dengue vaccine.
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