ReliefWeb

Rio de Janeiro – The arrival in Brazil of a dengue strain, known as subtype 4, and the return of dengue subtype 1 (which had been absent from the country for over 20 years), have been confirmed and will probably cause an increase in the number of dangerous cases of dengue during the summer when the disease thrives. The warning is from the secretary of Disease Control (“Vigilância”) at the Ministry of Health, Jarbas Barbosa.

Barbosa emphasized that the danger is that when someone gets dengue a second time, the tendency is for the disease to be much worse. “We now have a lot of people who have had the disease once. With the dispersion of this new strain, dengue subtype 4, more people will be getting the disease a second time. Although dengue subtype 4 is not more dangerous than other strains, if someone who has already had dengue gets it again there can be severe complications,” explained Barbosa.

The Ministry of Health has announced R$700 million to combat dengue. Much of the money, around R$440 million, is earmarked for Rio de Janeiro where some 980 municipalities, considered the most dangerous areas in the state, have already been mapped as part of preparations for a summertime campaign to control the disease.

Meanwhile, the Rio de Janeiro state secretary of Health, Sergio Côrtes, warned that there was a very large number of people susceptible to more serious cases of dengue, especially with two “new” subtypes in circulation. “Treatment norms must be followed rigidly. Just because a patient improves does not mean the disease is under control. In fact, it is often when the original symptoms get better and start to clear up that a more grave form of dengue manifests itself,” he explained.