The Health Intelligence Center's (CIS) weekly bulletin on the dengue outlook informs that the state of Rio de Janeiro continues to have a strong upward trend in the disease, with numbers above the historical average.
In the first three weeks of January, the state registered 9,963 notifications of probable cases of the disease, representing growth of 587% compared to the same period in 2023. Eight of the state's nine regions have above-average numbers of victims, while Resende, Itatiaia and Rio das Ostras appear with higher-than-expected increases.
This Friday (26), Governor Cláudio Castro and the Secretary of State for Health (SES), Claudia Mello, presented the State Plan to Combat Dengue, which provides for daily actions to combat the disease involving the use of technology, qualification and support for the state’s 92 municipalities.
Equipment and supplies were purchased by the government to be distributed to cities with the highest incidence of cases to set up 80 hydration rooms, which will have the capacity to serve, in total, up to eight thousand patients per day. The investment involved reaches R$3.7 million.
The state will also be able to convert 160 beds in nine hospitals to treat the disease, as occurred during the covid-19 pandemic. Another initiative involves the training of two thousand emergency doctors and health professionals from 92 municipalities, aiming to guarantee the most accurate diagnosis and correct treatment, in addition to training in the care of infected pregnant women.
Daily actions
The governor also stated that the State Plan to Combat Dengue has not started now. “We carry out daily actions to reduce the impact of the disease. In Brazil, in the first twelve days of 2024, more than 120 thousand probable cases of dengue were reported. We are working to support the municipalities, following the guidelines of the Ministry of Health. The government is prepared to receive and distribute the vaccines and all support is being given to the population”, he highlighted.
The Secretary of State for Health (SES), Claudia Mello, informed that daily monitoring – in real time – of the incidence of dengue cases is being carried out in all cities in the state, through the Health Intelligence Center (CIS) .
“This reading of data by health technicians is what allows the government to direct the necessary actions to contain the spread [da doença] and guarantee care for the population”, he stressed. He warned, however, that it is essential that city halls work with the state government in this task “and inform us of their needs so that we can act quickly and support them by sending equipment and supplies and promoting training for their teams”, highlighted Claudia.
Circulation
In Rio de Janeiro, serotypes 1 and 2 of the virus that causes dengue fever circulate. One case of serotype 4 was identified, but without circulation. Type 3 is already in circulation in Minas Gerais and São Paulo, and has not been registered in Rio since 2007.
The Epidemiological Surveillance of the Department of Health is monitoring the serotypes circulating on the highways that connect with other states in the Southeast. Mosquito samples are sent to the Noel Nutels Central Laboratory (Lacen).
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) carried out theoretical and practical training with the SES-RJ team, simulating a response to a possible epidemic. The training included support for city halls in developing their contingency plans.
Vaccine
According to the Ministry of Health, the dengue vaccine will reach the population from February. Initially, large municipalities with high transmission of the virus in the last ten years will be considered. The target audience is children and young people aged 10 to 14 and the vaccination schedule is two doses, three months apart.
There is also an increase in dengue victims in the private network. Rede D'Or hospitals in the state of Rio de Janeiro registered, in January, an average increase of 778% in the number of patients diagnosed with dengue, compared to the first month of 2023.
The biggest proportional increase was noted in the emergency room at Hospital Rios D'Or, in Jacarepaguá, west of the capital, where 2,300% more patients with the disease were treated between January 1st and 20th, compared to the same period of the year past.
In Barra D'Or, the total number of confirmed cases rose by 1,250%, while at Hospital Bangu, both in the west zone of Rio, there was an increase of 1,050%. At Samer Hospital, in Resende, southwest of the state, there was a discharge of 1040%.
There were also increases in the number of cases of the disease in patients treated at Norte D'Or hospitals (690%), in Cascadura, north zone; Copa D'Or (500%), in the south zone; and Oeste D'Or (126%), in Campo Grande, west of the capital.
The network's units in the state – Rio Barra, Perinatal, São Vicente, Jutta and Copa Star – which did not have any cases of dengue patients between January 1st and 20th, 2023, but have now recorded occurrences of the disease in the same period of 2024, informed Rede D'Or, through its press office.
Concern
The national director of Infectious Diseases at Rede D'Or, David Uip, said that growth is significant in the network's hospitals in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and in the Federal District.
“It is a worrying indicator, especially if the circulation of serotype 3 is recorded, as has been seen in some cities, which increases the number of people susceptible to the disease. This didn't happen 15 years ago. The risk of continued growth in the number of cases in the coming months is real. People who have had dengue in the past may experience more severe symptoms,” he opined.
For this infectologist, it is important that the population is aware of the main symptoms of the disease, such as sudden high fever, headache, body and joint pain, prostration, weakness and pain behind the eyes. In these cases, it is important to seek specialized hospital assistance.
David also highlighted the importance of adopting measures recommended by health authorities, avoiding containers with accumulation of stagnant water in homes so that the dengue vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, does not find environments suitable for proliferation.
Source: CNN Brasil
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