Dengue Spreads Rapidly in Brazil, Prompting Emergency Health Measures

By Ricardo Brito and Anthony Boadle

BRASILIA – Dengue fever cases have spiked during Brazil’s hot rainy season, prompting health authorities to implement emergency measures, including mass vaccination efforts against the virus that is spread by mosquitoes.

In the first five weeks of this year, the Health Ministry reported 364,855 cases of dengue, a fourfold increase compared to the same period in 2023. This alarming rise has resulted in 40 confirmed fatalities, with an additional 265 deaths under investigation.

Brazil has procured 5.2 million doses of the Qdenga dengue vaccine, developed by Takeda, a Japanese pharmaceutical company. An extra 1.32 million doses have been supplied to the government at no charge.

Three states, including Minas Gerais—Brazil’s second-most populous state—and the Federal District, where the capital, Brasilia, is situated, have declared emergencies due to the unexpected surge in infections.

Starting Friday, vaccination for children aged 10 to 14 will commence in Brasilia. The number of dengue cases in the city has surpassed the total reported throughout 2023, with an infection rate of 1,625 cases per 100,000 residents, far exceeding the national average of 170.

In a bid to combat the outbreak, army troops have been dispatched to Brasilia to identify and eliminate breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the virus. Additionally, the Brazilian Air Force established a field hospital in Ceilandia, a densely populated suburb of Brasilia, in anticipation of a potential influx of patients needing care.

Cities like Rio de Janeiro are also taking precautions ahead of the upcoming Carnival celebrations, which begin Saturday, to mitigate the risk of an epidemic.

The Health Ministry has activated an emergency center to coordinate dengue response efforts across the country. Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the director-general of the World Health Organization, visited Brasilia and noted that this dengue outbreak is exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, which has led to increased rainfall in Brazil. He highlighted that the current dengue crisis is part of a broader global increase, with over 500 million cases and more than 5,000 deaths attributed to the disease in 80 countries last year.

South America is currently experiencing a rise in dengue cases during the summer months, a trend aggravated by higher temperatures and the El Niño weather pattern, which extends the dengue season and facilitates the spread of the virus.

Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, headaches, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, and skin rashes. In severe cases, the disease can develop into hemorrhagic fever, which can cause severe bleeding and potentially result in death.