The newspaper Le Monde, which hits newsstands this Wednesday (14/2), carries a report on the threat of a new dengue epidemic in Brazil. Correspondent Bruno Meyerfeld highlights an explosion in the number of contaminations in recent weeks and the difficulties hospitals face in meeting demand.
Since the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Health has registered more than 512 thousand cases of the disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which causes pain and fever. This number is four times higher than that recorded in the same period in 2023.
The health authorities’ forecast is that there could be a wave of 4 million to 5 million cases in 2024, “an unprecedented number, even in a country accustomed to tropical diseases”, highlights Le Monde.
So far, 75 people have died from dengue fever and another 340 suspicious deaths are being investigated. More than half of Brazilian cities were affected and four states declared a health emergency. Minas Gerais, Acre, Paraná and Brasília are among the regions most affected by the dengue outbreak.
The sale of repellents increased by 400%.
Field hospital
To alleviate pressure on hospitals, the Army opened a field hospital on February 5 in Ceilândia, a satellite city of the capital. In just three days, the unit treated 3,500 patients.
For virologist Edilson Luiz Durigon, heard by the Monde report, “heat and humidity are an ideal cocktail for mosquito proliferation”. However, he denounces a lack of care on the part of the authorities in prevention policies, as the dengue transmitter reproduces in the domestic environment.
The vaccination campaign, which began on February 2, has only 750,000 doses available, according to the text. Due to the scarcity of dengue vaccines, only children and adolescents, considered more vulnerable, will be vaccinated and the rest of the population will have no choice but to go to private clinics, where two doses of the vaccine can cost up to R$1,000, which equivalent to 75% of Brazil’s minimum wage, highlights the French daily.
Furthermore, Carnival is also considered a strong vector of contamination in the country and the rains, expected for March, could worsen the situation.
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