Brazil surpassed the mark of four million dengue cases in just under five months, in what was already the worst dengue epidemic in its history.
According to data released by the country’s Ministry of Health, there are 4,127,571 probable cases of dengue, with a historical incidence rate of 2,032 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
In mid-March, Brazil surpassed the record number of cases registered in the entire year 2023 (1.65 million).
Furthermore, according to the last update, the country recorded 1,937 deaths due to dengue fever and 2,234 deaths under investigation.
The Ministry of Health’s forecast is that Brazil will end this year with a new record of around 4.4 million cases.
Even so, the numbers show that the rate of infection has decreased significantly in recent weeks, after the end of summer, a time when heat and humidity favor the reproduction of the transmitting mosquito, Aedes aegypti.
The current epidemic is attributed to the effects of the El Niño meteorological phenomenon, which raised temperatures and increased rainfall across the country, factors that contribute to the proliferation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Brazil was the first country in the world to offer the dengue vaccine through the public health system, although the low number of doses available limited its application only to children and adolescents.
