Dengue Outbreak In Brazil Has Left More Than 1,000 Dead So Far

Brazilian Health Ministry authorities announced on Wednesday that they had registered 1,020 deaths from dengue in 2024 to date. The amount reported so far leaves Brazil close to surpassing 2023’s year-long record 1,094 death toll.

Brazil has been undergoing an alarming dengue outbreak, now considered the worst in its history. Dengue is a viral disease that certain types of mosquitoes transmit. The disease, which usually starts with flu-like symptoms — such as fever, headache, and muscle and joint pain — can potentially cause severe life-threatening and fatal symptoms.

According to public information from the Brazilian Health Ministry, the South American nation recorded more than 2.67 million dengue cases during the first 13 weeks of 2024. The amount represents a dramatic increase when compared to the same time in 2023 when roughly 589,000 cases had been registered, of which 388 resulted in deaths.

The Health Ministry’s online dashboard notes that, at press time, there are an additional 1,531 recorded deaths currently under investigation to determine if dengue caused them.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil registered 2.9 million cases of dengue in 2023, accounting for roughly 58 percent of the five million total global dengue cases that the organization registered that year.

Brazilian Secretary of Health Surveillance Ethel Maciel asserted at a Tuesday press conference that the majority of Brazilian states are “out of the dengue peak,” claiming that out of Brazil’s 27 states, eight are in a “consolidated downward trend,” and 12 are considered to be in a “stable” trend. However, she added that the other seven states remain at an increasing trend in dengue cases.

“We have a drop in probable dengue cases. This is consolidating. The epidemic in the states is a little different now,” Maciel told local media.

“We still need to look carefully. We have reached the peak, but the curve still has to go down. In the coming weeks we will see if the fall will be longer,” she continued. “A moment of descent, but with great caution. We are still in a moment that demands attention.”

Maciel warned in February that the Health Ministry estimated that there would be 4.2 million cases of dengue by the end of 2024, an amount that has never been seen before in the country.

Despite the growing amount of dengue cases during 2023 and the dramatic outbreak experienced during the first months of 2024, a report published by the Brazilian outlet Poder360 on Thursday found that the administration of far-left socialist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had spent 61 percent less in dengue prevention campaigns than the administration of his predecessor, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The report claimed that part of the dengue outbreak crisis is attributed to reduced government efforts to guide the population to adopt preventive measures, traditionally done through advertising campaigns in the media that fall under the responsibility of the Brazilian Health Ministry.