By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

According to the State Secretariat of Health (Sesapi), from January 1 to December 24, 6,698 cases of dengue fever were confirmed in Piauí state in northeast Brazil. This is a 318 percent increase in cases of the disease compared to the same period of 2018. Only one dengue-related fatality was reported in the capital of Teresina.

Aedes aegypti/CDC

According to a Portalodia report (computer translated), the state coordinator of Sesapi Epidemiology, Amelia Costa, draws the population’s attention to the disproportionate growth of dengue cases in the state. According to her, most of the municipalities participating in the Aedes Aegypti Rapid Index Survey ( LIRAa) have a high rate of contamination.

“It’s a wake-up call for people to really take care of where they put waste, garbage, with attention to depleting all breeding sites. For example, if you have a plant jar that you spend several days without changing the water, that Our concern as State and Surveillance is very big, because the growth from 2018 to 2019 was so big. We are concerned because we are in the rainy season, which is a period of accumulation of water. regarding the cleanliness of its environment is necessary and fundamental”,she declares.

The coordinator also points out that Sesapi is developing actions to combat the spread of the disease in Piauí and map the municipalities with contagion rates. “Our highest priority is to identify all the most at-risk municipalities and we are also monitoring the disease by drawing hospitals’ attention to all signs and symptoms of dengue. We are also distributing insecticides to the regional health and the municipality if needed. can look for regional insecticides”, she says.

Brazil saw a record year with dengue fever in 2019 reporting more than 2.2 million cases (1.2 million lab confirmed), according to PAHO, including 782 deaths.