2015 record breaking
Record: Nearly two million cases of dengue fever have been recorded in Brazil
March 21, 2024, 4:56 p.m
Brazil is experiencing what may be the worst dengue outbreak in its history. Since the beginning of the year, 1.9 million possible infections with the dengue virus have been recorded in the South American country, according to the Ministry of Health.
Brazil has already broken the all-time record set in 2015 in the first twelve weeks of the year. At that time, about 1.6 million cases of dengue fever were recorded over the course of the year. To date, 656 deaths due to dengue infection have been confirmed, and an additional 1,025 suspected cases are still being investigated.
Heavy rains and high temperatures over the past few months are likely the reason behind this sharp increase. The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), which transmits dengue viruses, can thrive under these conditions. Dengue fever – sometimes called “bone-breaking disease” because of the pain – is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. However, the course of the disease is often mild and not all infected people develop the disease.
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