Rio de Janeiro: Dengue spike prompts health emergency ahead of Carnival (from BBC)

[travguy]

Rio de Janeiro: Dengue spike prompts health emergency ahead of Carnival

FYI: Dengue Fever is endemic across much of the tropical world but mostly spares almost all of the US, Europe, and Australia. I post this FYI so that folks will be aware and use “bug spray” and mosquito repellent on their bodies as appropriate.

 

Links:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2024/infections-diseases/dengue#5490

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/brazil/health (unlike the US CDC, the UK makes no significant mention of Dengue Fever. Other travel advice in other sections is well worth reading though.)

So the above provides some perspective.

 

Two recent web articles that as quite similar:

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/rio-de-janeiro-declared-dengue-health-emergency-days-106963804 (From the US, not Ozzie, ABC) Published on the web 5 Feb 2024.

 

“RIO DE JANEIRO -- Rio de Janeiro on Monday has declared a public health emergency because of an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever, the city announced Monday, just days before Carnival celebrations kick off across Brazil.

The outbreak wasn't expected to derail Carnival, which officially starts Friday evening and runs until Feb. 14, but it has prompted a slew of special measures by the city in hopes of containing the illness.

Rio city hall announced the opening of 10 care centers, the creation of an emergency operations center and the allocation of hospital beds for dengue patients. Authorities also will use “smoke cars” in regions with the highest incidence of cases, diffusing an insecticide in the air.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-68215360 (The title of the article is the title of this post). Published on the web 6 Feb 2024.

 

“The authorities in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro have declared a health emergency as they try to contain the spread of dengue fever.

The incidents of the mosquito-borne disease quadrupled in Brazil in January compared to the same month last year.

Rio has registered 10,000 cases so far this year, compared to 23,000 for the whole of 2023.

Dengue can cause a fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and a blotchy rash.

A dengue vaccine developed by the Japanese company Takeda was approved by Brazil's health regulator last year, but has not yet been widely distributed.”