'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAII/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAA0FIx/wD/xAAYEAACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIRMf/aAAgBAQABPwBSsen/xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/aAAgBAgEBPwCP/8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAgBAwEBPwB//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Days before Brazil's Carnival celebrations begin, Rio de Janeiro has declared a state of public health emergency owing to a dengue outbreak.
Carnival officially begins on Friday, February 9, and runs until February 14; however, the dengue outbreak has forced the city to implement several extra precautions in an attempt to contain the sickness.
Three states in Brazil, including Minas Gerais, the country's second most populous state, and the Federal District, home of the nation's capital Brasilia, have declared states of emergency due to an unheard-of surge of infections, as reported by US News.
The local administration announced on Wednesday that the Qdenga vaccination program for children aged 10 to 14 will begin in Brasilia on Friday.
Trending
How bad is the dengue outbreak in Brazil?
According to the health ministry, 364,855 cases of infection have been registered in the first five weeks of this year—four times as many as dengue illnesses in the same period of 2023. According to the government, the rapid spread of dengue has resulted in 40 confirmed deaths, with an additional 265 cases under investigation.
What are the precautions being followed by Brazil amidst the dengue outbreak?
Rio City Hall has announced the establishment of an emergency operations center, the inauguration of 10 care centers, and the distribution of hospital beds for dengue patients. In areas where cases are most common, authorities will also deploy "smoke cars," which release an insecticide into the atmosphere.
The news is made at a time when travelers and tourists are flooding Rio to join in on street celebrations and watch the colorful parades of the samba schools.
The "Against Dengue Every Day" campaign is among the operational strategies for Carnival that Rio state announced on Monday, according to Governor Cláudio Castro. This will involve giving audiences at the Sambadrome caps, stickers, bandanas, and repellents along with information about the disease. A 15-second advertisement on the fight against the sickness will also be presented.
In order to assist in locating Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding grounds, which are found in backyards and houses with standing water, army troops have been stationed in the nation's capital.
About dengue, in brief
Dengue is a virus that is contracted by biting an Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is also the vector for Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
Only 25% of individuals who are infected exhibit symptoms, such as rashes, fever, muscle and joint discomfort, and piercing headaches. Severe cases may result in organ failure, hemorrhage, shock, and sometimes even death.
Infecting millions of people annually worldwide, dengue is the most prevalent virus spread by mosquitoes, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite the lack of precise therapy, Brazil intends to launch a widespread immunization campaign for the dengue outbreak.
