BRAZIL
On May 09, 2011, The Lancet launched what they called a “Series on Health in Brazil” with the publication of six papers addressing a slate of developmental issues the country is facing. Not the least of the concerns being raised is the troubling six-fold increase in the rate of Dengue infections at the same time when Brazil has made enviable strides in improving health care access for all. The launching took place at the Pan American Health Organization’s auditorium in Brazilia under the patronage of the country’s Minister of Health.
Taken in context, Dengue is one of the few failures Brazil suffers from today. The sad truth is that not even a half a billion US dollar investment in Vector Control has made expected inroads into the cycle of disease transmission.
PAPER 3: Successes and failures in the control of infectious diseases in Brazil states that in the past decade alone, Brazil recorded 3.5 million cases of Dengue. Of that number, 12,000 cases were of the more serious variant, Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever. 900 deaths were reported during that period.
With no safe vaccine likely to emerge for years to come, Dengue will no doubt continue to be pose a major challenge for health authorities in Brazil.
Source: Medical News Today
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