Brazil has 75 deaths from dengue, and probable cases exceed half a million

Another 340 deaths are still under investigation. The number of possible infections is almost four times higher than those recorded in the same period in 2023, according to the Ministry of Health. Brazil has surpassed the mark of half a million probable cases of dengue. This is what the data released by the Ministry of Health this Monday (12/02) shows. There have been 512,353 possible infections since the beginning of the year, which represents around four times more than those recorded in the same period in 2023, when 128,842 cases were recorded.

In just the first six weeks of 2024, 75 people died from the disease and this number could rise, as another 340 deaths are still under investigation.

The southeast region is the most affected, with Minas Gerais recording the highest number of probable cases (171,769), followed by São Paulo (83,651), Distrito Federal (64,403), Paraná (55,532) and Rio de Janeiro (39,915).

Ministry of Health starts vaccinating children

The vaccination plan against dengue with the Qdenga vaccine, from the Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda, began last Friday, with the application of the first dose to children aged between 10 and 11 years. According to the Ministry of Health, the age group between 10 and 14 years old currently has the highest rate of hospitalization due to the disease.

Immunization must progressively advance in age group, as new batches are delivered by the manufacturer.

The previous day, the ministry had announced the distribution of this first wave of dengue vaccines to 315 municipalities in 10 states that meet the priority criteria defined by the Ministry.

The immunization cycle with Qdenga is completed with two doses, the second of which must be applied three months after the first.

In clinical trials, the overall efficacy recorded was 80.2% against dengue caused by any serotype, 12 months after the second dose. The vaccine also reduced hospitalizations by 90%. According to the Takeda laboratory, the vaccine guarantees immunization against the disease for up to five years.

How to protect yourself from mosquitoes?

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus prefer to bite their victims outdoors in the morning and late afternoon. They avoid the scorching sun and prefer to stay in the shade. Therefore, it is important to apply mosquito repellent to your body during the day and, if possible, wear long clothes that also cover your arms and legs.

They lay their eggs in small reservoirs of standing water, such as flower pots, rain barrels or car tires. Such sources of spread must be avoided and, if possible, removed or covered.

Why are cases increasing?

For the experts interviewed by DW, the explanation for the dizzying increase in the number of cases across the country is due to two factors: the mosquito is well established throughout the territory and the climatic conditions favored its multiplication.

“The more vectors, the greater the risk of an infected mosquito biting someone. The relationship with the climate is very clear – the hotter and greater the rainfall, the greater the proliferation. Due to the context we are living in, of global warming and El Niño, there was already an expectation of a record high in dengue fever”, comments André Giglio Bueno, doctor and professor of Infectious Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine of the Pontifical Catholic University in Campinas (PUC-Campinas)

But the increase in cases is not just due to climate issues. The epidemic is worsened by social issues, such as poor garbage collection and lack of basic sanitation. “People don’t have tap water and stock up on water to use at home. These places end up becoming breeding grounds, for example”, highlights Denise Valle, researcher at the Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Health at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz).

Another factor that influences the current scenario is the existence of at least four types of viruses in circulation. “After becoming ill, a person acquires immunity to a specific serotype. And the dynamics of serotype circulation is not very clear; They sometimes circulate all at once, or alternate between each other”, explains André Giglio Bueno.

ek/md (ots)