Brazil has passed the barrier of one million people infected with dengue fever in just eight weeks, and at least 214 of them have died as a result of the disease. Frightening figures were published this Thursday, February 29, by the Brazilian Ministry of Health.
According to a partial balance in the first eight weeks of this year, 1,017,278 Brazilians have already contracted the disease, which is showing an alarming rate of spread in 2024. To give you an idea of the seriousness of the situation, last year during the same period the country recorded 207,475 dengue cases, five times less than this year.
Confirmed deaths in the first two months of 2024 have already reached 214, but the real number will be much higher as health authorities are still analyzing another 687 deaths with similar characteristics. In the first eight weeks of 2023, 149 deaths from the virus infection were confirmed.
The situation is so serious that seven states have declared a public health emergency due to the dengue epidemic, which President Lula da Silva’s government, even with such serious numbers, continues to call localized outbreaks. These are Acre, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, Santa Catarina, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro.
A few days ago, a vaccination campaign began, but only for children 10 and 11 years old and in cities with higher incidence. According to the Ministry of Health, the lack of vaccines from international manufacturers is preventing the campaign from being extended to people of other age groups in all Brazilian municipalities, including the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions.