Eight Brazilian federative units are already showing a consolidated downward trend in the number of dengue cases: Acre, Amazonas, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Piauí, Roraima and the Federal District. The numbers were released this Tuesday (2) by the Ministry of Health.
“The states that are experiencing a decline are where the epidemic began. For these, we can say that the worst is over”, said the Secretary of Health and Environmental Surveillance at the Ministry of Health, Ethel Maciel, at a press conference.
Another seven states still show an increasing trend: Alagoas, Bahia, Maranhão, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe. The other 12 states show a trend of stability.
Despite the scenario, the Ministry of Health says that it is necessary to continue vigilance against the disease. “It still requires attention, we need people to continue dedicating ten minutes against dengue, looking at possible outbreaks of the larvae. It is still time for monitoring”, warned the secretary.
She also appealed to fathers and mothers to take their children to be vaccinated in municipalities where immunization is available.
Since the beginning of the year, 991 deaths from dengue have been recorded across the country. 1,483 deaths are under investigation.
The number of probable cases of the disease reached 2,624,300. Cases of severe dengue with warning signs reach 24,218.
According to a balance released by the ministry, the incidence rate of the disease is 1,292.4 cases for each group of 100 thousand inhabitants.
Vaccine
The Ministry of Health says that 1,235,119 doses of dengue vaccines have already been distributed to the states. Until March 25, the municipalities registered the application of 663,338, which represents 53.71% of the doses sent. “This does not mean that the doses have not been applied, the data may not have been sent yet”, explained the director of the Department of the National Immunization Program, Eder Gatti.
Recently, the Ministry of Health expanded immunization to 165 municipalities that will be provided with doses of the dengue vaccine. The number previously announced was 154 municipalities, but, according to the director, there was a mistake on the part of the department in the calculation.
“The number of health regions has not changed, what has changed is the reference we use. We had the correct population quantity, but there was a mistake in the number of municipalities. We corrected it, so the total is 165, keeping the same number of regions.”
According to him, the distribution of doses to these new municipalities has already started, but the arrival date depends on the logistical process, which varies according to the location. “We hope that by the end of the week all states will have received it,” he said. In the previous stage, 521 municipalities had been selected to receive doses of the vaccine.
The vaccine is intended for children and adolescents aged 10 to 14, the federal government’s target audience, as it accounts for the highest proportion of hospitalizations due to the disease. The vaccination schedule consists of two doses that must be administered with an interval of three months between them.
