The Ministry of Health announced the installation of the Emergency Operations Center (COE Arboviroses), which will monitor deaths and severe cases of dengue, zika and chikungunya.
The creation occurs in view of the increase in cases of these diseases in the country. Only for dengue, notifications grew by 43.8% until March of this year compared to the same period in 2022. In the case of chikungunya, the increase was 97%.
According to the ministry, the COE will focus mainly on dengue and chikungunya records, providing guidelines for surveillance actions in conjunction with states and municipalities.
“We identified growth in some states, which makes us alert. We are already sending field teams to draw up a diagnosis of the situation in these areas and we are going to reinforce the monitoring of the scenario of arboviruses throughout the country. Our priority is to sensitize the population, so that we can control the spread of these diseases,” said the Director of Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, Alda Maria da Cruz, according to a note released by the folder.
Dengue
From January to early March, 301,800 suspected cases of dengue were reported, against 209,900 cases in the same period of 2022. Severe cases total 2,900, and 73 deaths from the disease were recorded.
The most affected region is the Midwest, with 254.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Then come the Southeast (214.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and the South (98.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). The states with the highest incidence are Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais.
chikungunya
With regard to chikungunya, probable notifications grew by 97.1%, totaling 43,000 at the beginning of the year. One death was confirmed in the state of Espírito Santo and 13 are under investigation.
The Southeast Region registers the highest incidence, with 34.3 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, followed by the Northeast (13.8 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants) and North (13.1 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants). Among the states, Tocantins leads with 139.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
zika
Zika records grew from 883 to 1,194 when comparing January to the end of February this year with the same months in 2022. The North of the country has the highest proportion of cases, 2.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Tocantins appears again as the state with the most records of the disease in relation to population size in 2023.
Prevention
The three diseases (dengue, zika and chikungunya) are transmitted by mosquitoes Aedes aegypti. One of the most effective ways to prevent it is to avoid the accumulation of stagnant water in tires, bottles, potted plants and other containers, where mosquito proliferation occurs. Some recommendations are: cover water barrels, keep gutters clean, leave bottles upside down, clean and fill potted plants with sand, keep trash cans covered, clean drains and install screens on windows.
The illnesses have some similar symptoms, such as high fever, body aches and malaise.
