The dengue epidemic that has ravaged Brazil this year with unprecedented virulence has so far infected more than six million people in the country and killed more than four thousand, the highest number in history. The data was released this Monday, July 1, by the Brazilian Ministry of Health.
From January 1 to June 30, Brazil recorded 6,159,160 cases of dengue, killing at least 4,250 people, according to a government report. In addition to the deaths already confirmed, the Health Ministry is also investigating another 2,730 cases that could also be caused by complications of the disease.
However, according to data released this Monday, women have been the biggest victims of dengue, accounting for 54.8% of infections compared to 45.2% among men. Interestingly, contrary to the idea that older people are the biggest victims of the disease due to their natural vulnerability, the age groups leading in terms of infections are people between 20 and 29 years old, who account for the vast majority of notifications, followed by people between 30 and 39 years old and people between 40 and 49 years old.
In absolute figures, the state of Sao Paulo, the most populous in Brazil, leads the ranking of the regions most affected by the epidemic, with 1.9 million people infected with the virus. It is followed by the states of Minas Gerais with 1.6 million infected, Parana with 626.8 thousand infected, Santa Catarina with 350.6 thousand and Goiás with 301.5 thousand.