NewsDesk @bactiman63

The Ministry of Health in Brazil reports more than 201,000 dengue diagnoses in São Paulo from January through April this year, a 13 percent increase compared to the same period in 2022.

Image/Robert Herriman

Nationally in 2023, until the end of April, there was a 30% increase in the number of probable cases of dengue compared to the same period in 2022 throughout Brazil.

‘Brazil united against dengue, Zika and chikungunya’; Cases up in 2023

Dengue infection is acquired through the bite of certain species of mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti, but also Aedes albopictus.

Dengue fever can be a painful, debilitating disease but is rarely fatal. Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain (giving the disease the nickname “breakbone fever”), and bleeding. Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea may also be present in some cases. Dengue fever symptoms usually lasts 4-7 days. The disease is often diagnosed incorrectly because the symptoms are similar to influenza and other viruses.

Subscribe to Outbreak News TV on YouTube

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a rare but more severe form of dengue infection that can be fatal if not recognized and treated with supportive care. The primary risk factor for hemorrhagic fever is previous infection with a different dengue serotype (i.e. getting DENV-2 if you have already DENV-1 puts you at increased risk of hemorrhagic fever).