Brazil: Widespread risk of mosquito-borne disease /update 1

Event

The Brazilian Ministry of Health has warned that as of June 2018, outbreaks of dengue fever, Zika virus, and chikungunya may be ongoing in more than 1150 municipalities across the country. According to the most recent statistics released by the ministry, in the first 19 weeks of 2018 (period ending May 12), a total of 55,189 confirmed or suspected cases of dengue fever were reported nationwide, including 50 fatalities; the worst hit municipalities have been São Simão, Senador Canedo, Aparecida de Goiânia, and Goiânia, all located in the state of Goiás.

During the same period, 28,959 confirmed or suspected cases of chikungunya were reported, including 40 deaths; the worst hit states have been Mato Grosso, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais, as well as the municipalities of Santa Inês (Paraíba state), Várzea Grande (Mato Grosso), and Cuiabá (Mato Grosso), and São Gonçalo (Rio de Janeiro).

Finally, a total of 3656 cases of the Zika virus were reported, with the highest case numbers registered in the states of Mato Grosso, Tocantins, and Alagoas.

Context

Symptoms of dengue fever include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, nausea, and rashes. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a potentially deadly complication that is characterized by high fever, the enlargement of the liver, and hemorrhaging.

Symptoms of chikungunya are similar; the virus is infrequently fatal but potentially debilitating joint pain can last for weeks, even months, after the initial recovery.

Symptoms of Zika - fever, headache (behind the eyes), conjunctivitis, rash, vomiting, and muscle and joint pain - can appear two to seven days following contraction of the disease, although the virus is asymptomatic in approximately 80 percent of cases. Transmission of the virus is also possible via sexual intercourse. Although the Zika virus is usually relatively benign, links between it and severe birth defects as well as the potentially fatal neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) have been established.

Advice

Individuals present in Brazil - in particular pregnant women and their partners - are advised to take measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites (e.g. by wearing covering clothing, using insect repellent, and sleeping in screened-in or air conditioned rooms) and to eliminate possible mosquito breeding grounds (small pockets of fresh water, such as rain water that has collected in cans, bottles, tires, flower pots, clogged gutters, etc.).