In the latest update released by the Ministry of Health this Friday, 2, Brazil registered 262,247 probable cases of dengue, a significant increase compared to the same period last year. The number represents four times more than that observed in the last epidemiological week of January 2023. The situation led the ministry to install an Emergency Operations Center (COE Dengue) last Thursday, 1st.
The Federal District stands out with the highest incidence of cases, presenting 1147.8 probable cases per 100 thousand inhabitants. A total of 32,334 people in the region are suspected of having the disease. Other states with high incidence include Acre, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Goiás and Espírito Santo. Rio de Janeiro, seventh on the list, faces a worrying situation, leading Mayor Eduardo Paes to implement measures to contain the epidemic.
Find out which states are most affected by dengue in Brazil:
The probable cases of dengue in January this year are already equivalent to the numbers recorded in full years in Brazil. In 2017 and 2018, the country recorded 239,389 and 262,594 cases of dengue, respectively.
Despite the alarming scenario, the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, denied the existence of a national dengue epidemic, highlighting that the disease has socio-environmental characteristics and depends on the conditions in which the mosquito proliferates.
“We have epidemic situations, as is the case in Rio de Janeiro, the Federal District, Acre, Minas Gerais. But dengue has a socio-environmental characteristic, that is, it depends on the mosquito factor and proliferation conditions,” he said.
“And now, we have a concentration in the Southeast, Central-West and South regions, but this does not characterize a national emergency, a national epidemic, but an epidemic at a local level”, added the minister.