The record number of dengue cases in Brazil points to a problem that began in 2023. At the time, the Lula government (PT), states and municipalities did not adequately prepare for the crisis, projected in two global alerts released by the WHO in January and in July last year.
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The little action cost the lives of 1,116 people, between January 1st and April 8th, compared to 1,094 in the whole of last year. This is the highest indicator ever recorded since the beginning of the historical series, which began in 2000.
In its opinion editorial this Thursday, 2, the Folha de S. Paulo In addition to these, he highlighted another problem caused by “the neglect of public authorities”. In recent weeks, several states have had to rush to use dengue vaccines before the expiration date.
“The last-minute movement of the Health departments and the possibility of wasting public money constitute yet another example of the precarious performance of the authorities, in all spheres of government, in this epidemic”, criticized Folha.
To give you an idea of the scenario, as of April 15, of the 668,000 doses that would expire, 145,000 had not yet been applied to their target audience, which are people aged 10 to 14. Until April 19, only 0.2% of the Brazilian population was immunized. To make matters worse, the Japanese immunizer Qdenga requires the application of two doses at an interval of three months.
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“The Ministry of Health had a duty to speed up the bureaucracy to authorize its application by the SUS”, assessed the Sheet.
Lack of infrastructure
The publication suggests that the public authorities should have already allocated resources for material and personnel infrastructure in the outpatient system. “The risk of dengue leading to death is low, but it increases when care is precarious, with overcrowding and a lack of priority for more serious cases.”
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“This set of inactions may have contributed to Brazil breaking a disastrous record of deaths caused by the disease,” said the text. “It is hoped that, with this tragic summer, governments will prepare more responsibly for the next one.”
