Brazil surpassed 2,000 deaths from dengue in 2024. According to data from the Ministry of Health’s Arbovirus Panel updated this Tuesday (30), the country recorded 2,073 deaths in the first seventeen weeks of this year.
This is the highest number since the beginning of the historical series, in 2000. The previous record for deaths occurred in 2023, with 1,094. The third year with the highest number was 2022 with 1,053.
In the same period last year, in 4 months, Brazil had 671 deaths. Furthermore, to date, 4,176,810 cases were recorded in the first seventeen weeks of this year, an unprecedented rate. In 2023, they were 989,924 cases between weeks 01 and 17.
Also according to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health, at the moment, 13 states and the Federal District have a downward trend in the disease: Acre, Amapá, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia , Rio Grande do Norte, Roraima, Santa Catarina and São Paulo.
Another 8 continue with a stable trend (AL, AM, BA, MA, MS, PE, PI, RS) and 5 have an increasing trend (CE, MT, PA, SE, TO).
“I have used the metaphor that we climbed the mountain and now we are coming down. But on this descent we still have many cases that can happen and deaths that can be avoided. So, we always need to remember that it is still important that we are on alert”, said the secretary of Health Surveillance of the Ministry of Health, Ethel Maciel, at a press conference in Brasília this Tuesday afternoon.
She also highlighted that this year we are observing a dengue epidemic that presents a different pattern compared to others.
This is because, in general, there was a period of eight weeks for its rise, and now the Ministry of Health expects an equally distributed drop in cases over the next eight weeks.
This explains the fact that the states that now demonstrate a trend of stability were the first to record an increase in cases and deaths.
“This dynamic contrasts with epidemics in previous years, which generally required around 14 weeks to reach this stage [de alta e queda]”, added Maciel.
Questioned by g1 about the fact that, even in this scenario of decline, states such as Sergipe, Rondônia, Rio Grande do Sul, Amapá and Pernambuco present double the national average (4.43) in lethality in severe cases (4.43), the secretary highlighted that, for a preliminary analysis, this comparison would not be appropriate, since the year is not yet finished and there are several deaths under investigation.
“The scenario still inspires concern, and lethality is directly related to the quality of the care and assistance network. The more organized the local care and assistance network, the greater the capacity to absorb these cases and provide differentiated care,” he said.
Also according to the Ministry of Health, 2,667,476 doses have already been distributed to the states and DF since the beginning of the dengue vaccination campaign. Of this amount, 821,796 were applied and 1,865,238 were not registered (that is, they may not have been applied yet or, due to the municipality’s slowness, they may not have entered the system).
Brazil was the first country in the world to offer the vaccine on the public network. Children and adolescents aged 10 to 14 are eligible to receive the vaccine through SUS.
Types of dengue in Brazil
Dengue: different serotypes in circulation increase the risk of reinfection
Using data relating to laboratory tests carried out to identify dengue, the ministry also mapped which serotypes of the virus are most circulating in the country.
Serotype 1 dengue is the most common in Brazil, being registered in all states. Subsequently, serotype 2 is observed in 24 states and the Federal District.
There is simultaneous circulation of the four dengue serotypes in the national territory, but only Minas Gerais has recorded, to date, the presence of all serotypes acting simultaneously.
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