Cases of dengue, chikungunya, and zika are declining in Brazil. Data from the latest epidemiological bulletin released by the Ministry of Health reveal that notifications of the main diseases caused by the mosquito Aedes aegypti have dropped considerably between January and November of this year compared to the same period in 2016.
Among the three, zika saw the largest percentage decline. According to the ministry, 16,870 cases of the disease were reported nationwide until November 11 of this year, a remarkable drop of 92.1% compared to the same period in 2016 (214,126 notifications). As a result, the incidence rate of zika decreased from 103.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2016 to 8.2 this year.
The Central-West and North regions of the country have the highest incidence rates: 38.3 and 12.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively.
As for dengue, probable notifications of the disease fell from 1,463,007 last year to 239,076 this year, a decrease of 83.7%. Notifications of severe dengue dropped by 73%, from 901 in 2016 to 243 in 2017.
Cases of dengue with warning signs (shock and hemorrhage), in turn, fell from 8,875 in 2016 to 2,209 in 2017, a decline of 75%.
For chikungunya fever, the bulletin reports that 184,458 probable cases have been notified this year, which corresponds to an incidence rate of 89.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This number is 32.1% lower compared to the same period last year, when 271,637 cases were reported (131.8 cases/100,000 inhabitants).
The declines occurred as the Ministry of Health intensified actions on multiple fronts to combat outbreaks of Aedes aegypti.
Funding for Health Surveillance actions (which include mosquito control) increased by 83% in recent years, from R$ 924.1 million in 2010 to R$ 1.7 billion in 2016. For this year, the health surveillance budget for the states is expected to reach R$ 1.96 billion.
Source: Brazil Gov News