Governor Cláudio Castro (PL) announced this Wednesday (21) that Rio de Janeiro is experiencing a dengue epidemic. In almost two months of this year, the state has 49,405 probable cases of dengue, according to data updated by the State Department of Health this Monday (19/02).
The 2024 numbers already represent 96% of all cases registered last year and 20 times higher than expected by the State Department of Health.
Since the beginning of January this year, four deaths from the disease have been confirmed across the state. Two deaths in the capital, one in Mangaratiba and another in Itatiaia.
By Thursday (21), a decree will be published in the Official Gazette on the state’s situation and confirming the epidemic. The State created a Dengue Health Emergency Operations Center (COEs) to evaluate strategies to combat the disease.
According to the Ministry of Health, dengue is considered epidemic when infections reach 300 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants.
Symptoms of the disease are high fever, joint pain, pain behind the eyes and spots on the skin.
County
Rio de Janeiro city hall declared a state of public health emergency at the beginning of February due to the dengue epidemic in the city. In the first month of the year alone, the municipality broke a historic record for hospitalizations due to the disease.
To meet the demand for care, the city hall announced the installation of service centers in the city and 150 treatment and hydration centers.
They are located at the Super Centro Carioca de Saúde, in Benfica, in the neighborhoods of Curicica, Campo Grande, Santa Cruz, Del Castilho, Bangu, Madureira, Complexo do Alemão, Botafogo and Tijuca to combat the epidemic.
All centers are prepared to serve patients from 7am to 7pm.
See a list of preventive measures to avoid mosquitoes:
- Replace the water in the plant pot dishes with sand;
- Leave the water tank covered;
- Keep swimming pools clean;
- Remove from the environment all material that can accumulate water, such as tires and bottles;
- Unblock gutters, slabs and drains;
- Wash the edges of containers that accumulate water with soap and a brush and throw the larvae onto the earth or dry ground;
- Store buckets and bottles with the mouth facing down;
- Use of screens on windows.
Repellents and sanitizers
In addition to protective measures, prevention can also be carried out using two types of products: repellents for application to the skin and products for use in the environment.
Insect repellents for application to the skin fall into the “Cosmetics” category and must be registered with Anvisa. All insect repellent active ingredients that have already been approved for use in cosmetic products can be used on children, but it is important to follow the guidelines described on the product labeling, as each active ingredient has its own particularities and restrictions on use.
Products for use in the environment, called sanitizers, are insecticides and repellents. Insecticides are recommended to kill adult mosquitoes. Found mainly in sprays and aerosols, they contain active substances that kill mosquitoes, as well as solubilizers and preservatives. Repellents, in turn, only keep mosquitoes away from the environment. They are sold in the form of spirals, liquids and tablets used, for example, in electrical appliances.
