The number of tests with positive results for dengue , carried out in private laboratories between March 17th and 23rd, grew 221%, in relation to the first epidemiological week of 2023. Data are from the Brazilian Association of Diagnostic Medicine (Abramed) and show an evolution from 26.51% to 33, 74% in positive results in this period. The volume of exams performed in such establishments in the period increased by 152%.
By international consensus, infectologists group data such as occurrences of diseases and outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths into periods called epidemiological weeks (ES). Time is counted from Sunday to Saturday.
According to the chairman of the Board of Directors of Abramed, Wilson Shcolnik, the increased demand for tests to diagnose dengue and the increasing positivity in the results are explained by the fact that the country is experiencing a rainy season, despite it being autumn. “The accumulation of water is very conducive to the reproduction of the transmitting agent of dengue, the mosquito. aedes aegypti”, stated Shcolnik.
Infectologist and researcher at the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectology (INI/Fiocruz) André Siqueira points out that the mosquito has adapted well to cities, expanding and resisting insecticides. Siqueira associates the increase in cases with climate change. “There are indications that it is all related to climate change, global warming and changes in rainfall patterns.”
The infectologist said that, currently, the issue worries even countries that are outside tropical areas, more prone to the disease. “Before, dengue was restricted to tropical regions, but it has expanded to temperate regions such as the United States. And it has even become a problem in Europe and in countries further south, such as Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.”
official data
The high number of dengue cases is also verified by the Unified Health System (SUS). The Ministry of Health released, on the 6th, the Weekly Report of the Center for Emergency Health Operations (Coe-Arboviruses), regarding the 13th Epidemiological Week of 2023.
According to the report, the number of probable cases of dengue and chikungunya notified in Brazil this year (SE from 1 to 13), exceeded the maximum limit expected by the authorities, considering the historical series. According to the weekly report, the trend is for an increase in transmission and cases in the coming weeks. “In the Contingency Plan for Response to Public Health Emergencies due to Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika”, Brazil is classified at Level 3 for dengue and Chikungunya, due to the increase in incidence and confirmed deaths.
In the 13th Epidemiological Week of 2023 alone, almost 600,000 (592,453) probable cases of dengue were reported in 4,230 municipalities, which represents an increase of 43% compared to the same period last year. Of this total, 5,773 occurrences are considered serious (art, page 03). The Ministry of Health confirms 183 deaths, and there are 231 deaths under investigation.
Health Actions
The Ministry of Health reported that, given the warning of the spread of dengue in the country, it installed the Emergency Operations Center (Coe-Arboviruses) to act in the control and reduction of severe cases of the disease. The folder says that “it closely monitors the epidemiological situation of arboviruses [doenças causadas por vírus transmitidos, principalmente, por mosquitos e mais comuns em ambientes urbanos] in the country and which has invested in actions to fight the disease with the states and municipalities.
Among the actions to prevent and control the transmitting mosquito, the ministry mentioned the more than 95,000 dengue detection kits sent to state health departments and ensured that all states are supplied with three different types of insecticides to control the mosquito. aedes aegypti.
In addition, in March, there was training for professionals in places with an increase in cases, such as the states of Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Santa Catarina, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, to prepare doctors and nurses and for clinical management and surveillance of arboviruses.
Discover the main mosquito breeding sites aedes aegypti
Source: CNN Brasil
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