10 facts about dengue fever in Brazil
1. Dengue fever is one of the biggest threats to the health of those living in Brazil and of those visiting the country as well.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever can cause death.
2. Dengue fever is spread throughout most of Brazil.
Contrary to what happens with yellow fever, dengue is present both in rural and urban areas. In many places it occurs in the form of epidemics. From January to November 2007 there were 536,519 cases of dengue fever in Brazil. In the entire 2007, there were 1,541 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever, with 158 deaths. The fight against dengue fever is hindered by precarious hygiene and sanitation standards in most of the country, the insufficient resources made available by the authorities at all levels, and the attitude of part of the population. According to a recent poll, 91% of the population know what needs to be done to erradicate the mosquito than transmits dengue; however, 55% do nothing about it as their neighbours do nothing either.
3. Cases of dengue fever increase during the rainy season.
The mosquito that transmits dengue fever becomes active with rain and high temperatures. 86% of the cases registered in 2007 occurred between January and May.
4. So far, there is no vaccine against dengue fever.
Primary prevention of dengue fever consists on avoid being bitten by the mosquito that transmits the disease. Cover your exposed skin and your clothes with repellent.
5. Dengue is transmitted through the bite of the Aedes Agypti mosquito.
The fight against dengue is synonym whth the fight against the mosquito. The adult mosquito is middle-sized, dark with white markings on the sides and the upper part of the thorax. It has white rings on its legs. It is found on houses and their vicinities. It needs clean water to deposit its eggs.
6. Dengue fever is not transmitted between humans.
7. There are four serotypes of dengue fever: 1, 2, 3, 4. Type 4 is the only one not found in Brazil.
8. Two forms of dengue fever are found in Brazil: classic dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever.
On average, symptom manifest between 5 and 6 days after the infection.
The main symptoms of classic dengue fever are high fever (39° to 40°C); severe headache; rashes (bright red on the lower limbs and the chest); muscle and joint pains; nausea and vomiting.
Initially, the symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever are the same as those of classic dengue. After the third or fourth day, hemorrhages appear. It the disease is not treated inmmediately, it can lead to the death of the patient.
If symptoms appears, immediate medical care is need - do go to a hospital or health centre.
9. There is no specific treatment for classic dengue fever.
Aspirins should be avoided as they may favour the appearance of hemorrhages. It is important that the patient prevents dehydration through increased oral fluid intake.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever should be trated in hospital.
10. Dengue fever can be caught more than once (although it will never be the same type). Those who have contracted dengue fever in the past should be extra careful as dengue hemorrhagic fever seems to develop almost exclusively on patients that had had classic dengue fever before.
MORE INFORMATION:
Combata a Dengue. Website of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, in Portuguese only. Given the size of the problem and the fact that dengue fever does not discriminate between residents and visitors, one would have expected a more proactive attitude from Brazilian authorities when it came to informing tourists about the risks of dengue fever. I haven’t found any mention of dengue fever on the Brazil Tourism Portal, also belonging to the Brazilian government.
One wonders what are the reasons behind this silence and reaches the conclusion that the authorities want to avoid at all costs associating yet another negative issue to the image of a country already blemished by violence, precarious infrastructures and lack of tourist information. If a blogger with no financial support and the collaboration of a doctor can write a entry like the one you are reading now, why shouldn’t a government be able to do something similar?
The U.S. government’s CDC Dengue Fever Fact Sheet can be consulted for further information in English.
This entry has been entirely written with the medical supervision of dr. Gustavo R. Bonzón, to whom we are grateful for this co-operation. Any mistakes contained in the text are the sole responsibility of the blog.
SEE ALSO ON THIS BLOG:
- Dengue fever epidemic in Rio
- Dengue fever in Natal
[Hay una versión en español de este texto en: 10 datos sobre el dengue en Brasil]
February 11th, 2008 at 6:47 am
People can travel to Brazil without being afraid of dengue.
February 11th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Hi Rafael. I agree with you, you shouldn’t approach your holiday destination with fear unless you want to put in jeopardy the always-important enjoyment factor.
However, that doesn’t mean you should play down the risks of contracting dengue fever, which are very real. Only recently a couple of Argentinian readers of the blog reported how they had contracted dengue fever while in Ubatuba last year. The symptoms only manifested back in Buenos Aires. One of them stayed 10 days in hospital, in a very serious condition - thankfully she recovered ok.
Information is the name of the game.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:36 am
sono appena tornata dal brasile dopo 23 giorni di soggiorno e dopo 4 giorni dal rientro sono stata ricoverata per dengue, considerate che avevo fatto tutta la profilassi preventiva anche se per il dengue non esiste niente, ho sempre usato ddt in camera, zanzariere, autan, abiti chiari e avevo passato tutti gli abiti, materassi e tende con permertina, per me il problema sono le piscine.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Wally, you forgot to mention where in Brazil you spent your holidays.
When swimming pools are properly treated against the mosquito, there is no risk whatsoever. The problem are pools belonging to houses and mansions that are left closed by their owners during long periods of time.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
We are supposed to go to Rio at the end of April to visit family. However, I think planning our trip this time of year was very bad planning and I may pull the plug on it. I have two small children and I am pregnant. We are planning to go to the mountains in Rio to a nice hotel and stay with family for 5 days, then hang out in Rio (staying at my father in laws house in Jardim Botanico) for a few days. Having a week of fun doesn’t seem worth it for the amount of worry and the amount of deet entering my system at this time.
April 12th, 2008 at 2:15 am
Robyn, cancel the trip. The risks involved are too high. The crisis in Rio is not improving and will not do so until the beginning of winter (summer in the northern hemisphere). Thousands of new cases are being recorded every week.
April 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I was planning a trip to Brazil in August, but recently one of my friends is threatening to drop out due to dengue fever. From the u.s. embassy website it seems like cases decrease in the winter, but i’m wondering, would contracting the disease still be a substantial risk in August?
April 13th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Hi Aaquila, you can tell your friend that, as stated on point 3 of this entry, the vast majority of dengue cases occur during the rainy season. By the beginning of June the situation should be back to normal and the risk should be minimal in August. Look at the statistics for last year, 87% of the cases were recorded between January and May.
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
im going to rio mid june with 2 mates staying in cococabannashould i reconsider ???? steve
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Hi Stephen, it’s a tough call, things should have improved quite a bit in a couple of months time, and Copacabana is not at the center of the epidemic (worst hit areas are in the west of the city) so I guess you could probably go ahead with your trip - be extra vigilant, though, and bring plenty of repellent with you.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:13 am
How is the situation now, at the end of june?
June 20th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
My dad leaves in Rio and he told me that because of the cold weather has arrived now, things have gotten much better since March. He told me that people should be fine when travelling to Brazil now. As Tony mentioned earlier, the Dengue season always happens during the summer months down there, from December to April. You should be fine if you’re traveling outside the Dengue season.
As a matter of fact, I’ll be flying down there with my husband in August and we’ll be staying there for 2 weeks. We’ll bring mosquito repellent just in case. Hope this information helps.
June 20th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Tony, Priscy is absolutely right, things are much better now and more likely than not we will hear about dengue fever again only at the end of the year with the arrival of the first summer rains.
October 30th, 2008 at 9:52 am
What is the risk of dengue in the amazon during November and December?
October 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Should be low, the first cases of the dengue season would usually be reported during that time, but the epidemic usually develops in January/February.