The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning stating that the current dengue outbreak could be the worst in history. According to the agency, Latin America and the Caribbean are experiencing increases in previous cases, mainly in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil, which have already registered more than two million cases, and 830 confirmed deaths due to the disease.
+Vaccination against dengue fever can take up to 8 years to reduce transmission
On the other hand, the Ministry of Health revealed that only 17% of the target audience, made up of more than 3.1 million children and adolescents, has been vaccinated against dengue to date.
With the large number of vaccines close to expiration and low demand from the target audience — children and adolescents aged 10 to 14, the age group with the highest rate of hospitalization for dengue, the Ministry of Health decided to expand the immunization campaign, including a greater number of municipalities. The eleven health regions covered are:
- Betim, Uberaba and Uberlândia-Araguari, in Minas Gerais
- Central, in Espírito Santo.
- Recife, in Pernambuco.
- Apucarana, in Paraná
- Florianópolis, in Santa Catarina.
- Guarani Aquifer, Campinas, São José Do Rio Preto and the capital, in São Paulo
Infectious disease specialist Renato Grinbaum, from the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases, comments on the population’s misinformation and fear. “People are scared, they are misinformed, and they don’t know about the benefits of the vaccine”
The Ministry of Health plans to redistribute more than 600,000 doses of vaccines and send an additional 930,000 doses to 154 new municipalities across the country. This expansion follows strict criteria, including population and history of high contamination rates. The vaccine is expected to begin being given to the new public next week.
