Brazilian Ministry of Health authorities announced On Wednesday, the government announced that it has recorded 1,020 deaths from dengue fever so far in 2024. The number of deaths reported so far will almost exceed Brazil’s annual record of 1,094 in 2023.
Brazil continues to experience an alarming outbreak of dengue fever, now considered the worst in history. Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by certain types of mosquitoes. The disease usually begins with flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and muscle and joint pain, and can lead to severe and life-threatening symptoms.
A male (top) and female (bottom) Aedes aegypti mosquito seen under a microscope at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Research Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 14, 2019. (MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP, Getty Images)
According to the publication information The South American country recorded more than 2.67 million dengue cases in the first 13 weeks of 2024, Brazil’s Ministry of Health said. This figure represents a dramatic increase compared to the same period in 2023, when around 589,000 cases were registered, of which 388 were recorded. caused a fatal accident.
The Ministry of Health’s online dashboard states that at the time of writing, a further 1,531 deaths have been recorded and are currently being investigated to determine if dengue fever was the cause.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil Registered The number of dengue fever infections in 2023 will be 2.9 million, accounting for approximately 58% of the total of 5 million dengue fever infections worldwide registered by the organization in the same year.
Brazilian Health Surveillance Director Ethel Maciel claimed At a press conference on Tuesday, he said that most of Brazil’s states are “beyond the peak of dengue” and that of Brazil’s 27 states, eight are in “general declining trend” and 12 are in “stable” state. He argued that this seems to be a trend. . However, he added that dengue cases are still on the rise in seven other states.
“The number of suspected dengue cases is decreasing. This is being consolidated. The epidemic situation in each province is a little different now,” Maciel told local media.
City workers fumigate a neighborhood in the fight against the Egyptian tiger mosquito (Aedes aegypti), which carries the dengue virus, in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 19, 2024. (Andre Lucas/Photo in association with Getty Images)
“We still need to watch closely. We have reached the peak, but the curve still has to come down. The next few weeks will tell us whether the decline will be longer,” she continued. “It’s a moment of descent, but please be extremely careful. We are still in a moment that requires caution.”
Maciel warned In February, the Ministry of Health estimated that 4.2 million people will be infected with dengue by the end of 2024, a number the country has never seen before.
Despite an increase in the number of dengue cases in 2023 and a dramatic outbreak in the first months of 2024. report Published by Brazilian outlet podder 360 The government of far-left socialist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spent 61 percent less on dengue prevention campaigns than the government of his predecessor, it was found on Thursday.Jair Bolsonaro lives.
The report states that the dengue outbreak crisis is partly due to reduced government efforts to educate the public to take precautions, traditionally done through advertising campaigns in the media under the responsibility of Brazil’s Ministry of Health. claimed to have done so.
