EPAA man in Brasilia is vaccinated against dengue
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 09:20
There is a major outbreak of dengue, also called dengue fever, in Brazil. The millionth infection of this year was reported yesterday. This time last year there were still more than 200,000. A state of emergency has been declared in six states.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, 214 people officially died from dengue in the first two months of this year. There may be a lot more: it is still being investigated whether dengue was the cause of death of 687 deaths.
Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne viral infectious disease. About 400 million people worldwide are infected with it every year. It leads to death in less than 1 percent of cases.
The virus mainly occurs in tropical areas. Common symptoms include high fever with chills. Victims vomit and cough a lot and have severe pain behind the eyes. There is also a lot of pain in the muscles, bones and joints. The symptoms usually last for a week to two weeks.
Dengue record upcoming
The sharp increase in the number of dengue cases in Brazil may be due to the heavy rainfall, in combination with the high temperatures in recent months. The yellow fever mosquito can easily transmit the virus under these circumstances.
EPADe yellow fever mosquito, which spread dengue virus
Kleber Luz, infectious disease specialist for the World Health Organization (WHO), told the Brazilian news site Globo that he is very concerned: “The expectation is that we will break all dengue records this year.”
The dengue virus is also spreading in surrounding countries. The death toll is rising in Argentina and a state of emergency was declared in Peru this week.
The Brazilian government has declared tomorrow a special day to combat the mosquito. The people are urged to pour water from flower pot coasters, which are often breeding grounds for mosquitoes. A vaccination campaign started last month with a new vaccine against dengue.
2024-03-01 08:20:39
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