Probable cases of dengue grow by almost 40%, says Ministry of Health

From July 2023 to this year, 305,190 probable cases of dengue were recorded — around 150 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants throughout Brazil. Compared to the same monitoring period in previous years, the increase is 38.2% in the number of cases, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

In 2024 alone, until January 17, 55,859 probable cases of dengue were registered, around 27.5 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, and six deaths were confirmed.

The regions that concentrate the highest incidences are the Central-West, Southeast and South. Among the federation units, the Federal District, Espírito Santo, Acre and Goiás have the highest incidences.

In total, 127 deaths were recorded, with the highest number of deaths and serious cases concentrated in the Southeast, Central-West and Northeast regions, respectively. There are 3,841 serious cases with warning signs of the disease and a fatality rate of 3.3%.

During this period, the circulation of four serotypes of the dengue virus (from subtypes 1 to 4) was identified, with a predominance, to date, of DENV1, dengue subtype 1, in 17 units of the federation. Almost 4 thousand municipalities had confirmed cases.

The inversion of serotypes from dengue subtype 1 to dengue subtype 2 was observed in the states of the Central West Region, Tocantins, Sergipe, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte.

The Ministry of Health informs that the number of probable cases of dengue in Brazil in the 2023/2024 monitoring is outside the limits of the endemic channel, considering the historical series.

Check out some tips to keep your home safe from the Dengue mosquito:

• Maintenance and control of stagnant water
• Remove all containers that could accumulate water on your property, such as vases, dishes, old tires, empty bottles and cans.
• Empty unused pools regularly.
• Make sure that the water tanks are well sealed, with no gaps that could allow mosquitoes to enter.
• Add chlorine to swimming pools and other products to prevent larvae from developing.

Care in common areas

• Install screens on doors and windows to prevent adult mosquitoes from entering.
• Keep the yard clean, eliminating leaves and debris that can accumulate water.
• Place a layer of sand in plant pots to prevent water accumulation and create a barrier against mosquito breeding.
• Carry out regular inspections of your property to identify and eliminate potential breeding sites.
• It is essential to adopt continuous prevention practices to interrupt the life cycle of Aedes aegypti

Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that at the end of December, the Ministry of Health incorporated the dengue vaccine into the Unified Health System (SUS). Brazil becomes the first country in the world to offer the vaccine in the universal public system. Approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in March 2023, the vaccine has been available in private clinics since July last year.

*With information from Ana Beatriz Dias