A dengue It will hit children up to 5 years of age more seriously in 2024, according to a survey carried out by the Childhood Health Observatory of Fiocruz/Unifase (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz/Centro Universitário Arthur Sá Earp Neto). According to the analysis, This age group is the one with the highest mortality rates followed by children between 5 and 9 years old.
The analysis was based on data from Sinan (Notifiable Diseases Information System) of the Ministry of Health from the first 10 epidemiological weeks of 2024 (until March 9).
Observa Infância indicates that 239,402 cases were reported in children up to 14 years old , with a higher incidence of cases among adolescents aged 10 to 14 (41.8%). The incidence of disease records in children under 5 years old was 24.5% and that of children between 5 and 9 years old, 33.7%.
According to the survey, it was recorded 52 deaths from dengue in children under 14 years of age. Of these, 16 have already been confirmed and 36 are under investigation. Of this total, 44.2% of victims were under 5 years old while the range of 5 to 9 years represented 32.7% of deaths and the range of 10 to 14 years corresponded to 23.1% of deaths.
The data demonstrate that there is a gradual decrease in the proportion of deaths with increasing age, reinforcing that dengue may be more dangerous in young children . This group is even one of the most susceptible to serious infections, according to the Ministry of Health.
Furthermore, the analysis also warns of a 21.1% increase in the number of deaths in the tenth epidemiological week in relation to the previous week. This may suggest the need to reinforce dengue prevention measures, especially among children and adolescents under 14 years of age.
Lethality is higher among children under 5 years of age
The Observa Infância survey also showed that the Lethality (number of deaths in relation to total cases) confirmed it is five times higher in the age group under 5 years old compared to the range between 10 and 14 years. Lethality in children from 5 to 9 years old is three times higher than among older children and adolescents.
Total lethality (taking into account confirmed and suspected cases) is also higher in age groups under 10 years old compared to children and adolescents between 10 and 14 years old, according to analysis.
“In this survey we observed that, despite concentrating the lowest number of cases among children, the age group between 0 and 5 years old is the one that died the most this year from the most serious forms of the disease, followed by the age group between 5 and 9 years old” , explains the coordinator of Observa Infância, Cristiano Boccolini. For him, the important thing is that families take their children to be vaccinated and that everyone continues to take the possible prophylactic measures.
“The Ministry of Health is right to vaccinate the group where we are seeing the most cases. Our recommendation is that immunization extends to younger children, aged 5 to 9, who are dying more proportionately”, he adds.
Why is dengue fever in babies and children more worrying?
Dengue fever in babies and children is similar to the disease that affects adults and can cause the same symptoms, such as high fever, malaise, body pain and fatigue. However, in young children, the infection can be confused with other common childhood viruses, which makes identification difficult.
“In children, the warning signs of dengue may not be as evident, leading to a greater risk of severity”, says Flavia Jacqueline Almeida, infectious disease specialist at Sabará Hospital Infantil, in an article previously published in CNN .
In babies under two years of age, identifying dengue symptoms can be even more challenging, as little ones are unable to express the symptoms they are feeling. This requires greater attention from parents and guardians to observe signs such as fever, lack of appetite, nausea, red spots on the skin, eye inflammation, joint pain and pain when swallowing food or drinking water.
Source: CNN Brasil
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