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Could Brazil’s dengue fever outbreak become a global health crisis?
A health worker prepares to spray insecticide to kill the Aedes aegypti mosquito to help mitigate a dengue outbreak in the Ceilandia neighborhood of Brasilia, Brazil February 7, 2024. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
Unprecedented levels of infections from the mosquito-transmitted virus have been documented across the Southern hemisphere, with forecasts of a probable spread towards northern regions.
As the world’s most famous carnival continues with some five million people reportedly dancing in the streets of Rio alone this weekend, Brazil is currently facing a major dengue fever outbreak, a potentially deadly disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Health experts warn that this outbreak foreshadows an impending increase in cases across the Americas.
The Health Ministry of Brazil anticipates over 4.2 million cases of dengue this year, surpassing the 4.1 million cases reported by the Pan-American Health Organisation for all 42 countries in the region last year. Brazilian newspaper Globo reported some 390,000 cases thus far, up by 149% compared to Brazil’s worst dengue year of 2015.
Although Brazil typically experiences a surge in dengue cases every four years, various factors such as El Niño and climate change have exacerbated the issue this year. Brazil’s Health Minister, Nísia Trindade, attributes this to record-high temperatures and above-average rainfall since last year, leading to increased mosquito breeding sites even in regions previously unaffected by the disease.
“The record heat in the country and the above-average rainfall since last year, even before the summer, have increased the number of mosquito breeding sites in Brazil, even in regions that had few cases of the disease,” explained Trindade.
Dengue cases have already spiked in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay in recent months during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer, and the virus is expected to spread through other continents with changing seasons.
The World Health Organisation has raised concerns about dengue becoming a pressing global health issue, citing a record number of cases last year and outbreaks in historically unaffected areas like France.
