On 13 February Brazil’s health ministry released data showing that since the start of the year there have been 512,353 confirmed cases of dengue, the mosquito-borne tropical disease, resulting in at least 75 deaths.
Analysis:
The health ministry said a further 340 deaths are under investigation for possibly also being caused by dengue. Cases registered in the period 1 January-12 February were up some 400% on the same period last year. The states of Acre, Goiás, and Minas Gerais, along with the city of Rio de Janeiro and the Distrito Federal (DF), home to the capital Brasília, have all declared emergencies in response to rising dengue cases. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says there is a global upsurge in dengue because of wet and warm conditions linked to the El Niño weather pattern.
- One way of combatting the disease is by attacking the mosquitos carrying it. This has been done through fumigation and longstanding public health campaigns urging households to drain any standing water around the home. However, these campaigns have had limited results. This week Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes criticised what he called “total carelessness with standing water”.
- Health officials are also concerned over the re-appearance of DENV-3 – a strain of the disease that had been absent for over a decade. This strain increases the risk of reinfection.
- This month Brazil became the first country in the world to launch a national dengue vaccination programme, initially covering 500 municipalities and using Qdenga, a vaccine developed by Takeda, a Japanese pharmaceuticals company. The government has signed an initial contract for 5.2m doses; since two doses are required per person, this will be enough to vaccinate 2.6m people – around 1% of the population. The Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, a public health research institute, says it is talking to Takeda about a possible technology transfer deal to allow local manufacture.
- There are also hopes that São Paulo’s Instituto Butantan public health institute may launch its own single-dose vaccine. Its vaccine has a reported 79.6% efficacy rate in clinical trials. Medical regulator Anvisa is assessing the vaccine, which could reportedly be on the market by 2025.
Looking Ahead: This year dengue is becoming a major regional health issue as the number of cases rises, not just in Brazil but also in neighbouring Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
