According to the Flu Syndrome Surveillance Report referring to Epidemiological Week 11 (from 03/10/2024 to 03/16/2024) Brazil shows a drop in the number of cases and deaths caused by covid-19, data from the Ministry of Health show 10.8% fewer new cases and a 5.4% decrease in the number of deaths.
Panorama
In 2024, the country has already recorded 483,357 cases and 2,328 deaths related to the disease, the numbers recorded in Epidemiological Week 11 are the lowest since those observed in the post-carnival period.
For the Secretary of Health and Environmental Surveillance, Ethel Maciel, the drop in numbers related to SARS-CoV-2 infections cannot reduce care for the disease “Since the beginning of the year we have been seeing the severity of dengue in Brazil, but we still have four times more people dying from Covid than from dengue in the country. In addition to vaccination, everyone must continue with the protective measures we learned during the most tragic period of the pandemic.”
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The report from the Ministry of Health also pointed out which variants of the virus are most present in the population, the subvariant JN.1 (62%) continues to be more prevalent, followed by XBB.1.5 (21%), BA.2.86 (3%), subvariants EG.5 (1%), XBB.2.3 (1%) and XDR recombinants (13%).
Influenza
Another important piece of information presented in the Report was that the growth in influenza cases observed in Epidemiological Week 9 still continues, with the disease associated with 48% of viruses identified in cases of flu syndrome and 19% of registered cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS ).
In order to combat the disease, the Ministry of Health brought forward the distribution of vaccines and the start of Flu Vaccination Campaignwhich normally occurred between April and May.
*This article was reviewed by the Portal’s medical team.
