The Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, is expected to meet this Monday (5/2) with governors to discuss the fight against dengue. For now, the ministry denies that there is a national epidemic of the disease, however, in 2024 alone, at least 29 people will die and more than 260,000 will contract the disease, 300% more than in the same period last year.
States such as Acre, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Minas Gerais, in addition to some cities in Mato Grosso do Sul and the city of Rio de Janeiro, declared an emergency situation.
International meeting should talk about dengue
At 6 pm, the minister also meets with the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom. Officially, he will come to the country to launch a plan to eliminate diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS. However, dengue fever must be discussed at the meeting, which will be attended by President Lula.
Last Saturday (3/2), the Ministry of Health began work on the emergency operations center, a team that will coordinate actions to combat dengue and monitor the progress of the disease.
The increase in cases has been worrying the government, as January’s numbers significantly exceed those at the beginning of last year. There were 232,900 cases identified in the country in the first four epidemiological weeks of 2024, a period that lasted until January 27, according to data from the ministry.
In the same period in 2023, 65,366 were registered, which reveals growth of 252%.
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