Brazil launches national campaign, 'Got 10 minutes? The time to prevent is now', to control dengue, Zika and chikungunya
The Brazil Ministry of Health today launched a national awareness and mobilization campaign to reduce cases and deaths from dengue, chikungunya and Zika in the next season.
The campaign, "Got 10 minutes? The time to prevent is now" begins airing on open television channels, radio and places with high circulation. The goal is to draw attention to the elimination of breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito and encourage the population to dedicate 10 minutes per week to controlling the insect's breeding sites.
The campaign educates the population on the importance of removing mosquito breeding sites, in addition to providing information on early diagnosis, medical care, risks of self-medication and the location of health clinics.
Health Minister Nísia Trindade highlighted that the government is preparing for the next rainy season, focusing on reducing cases and deaths from arboviruses . “We are implementing a work plan based on surveillance, control of the transmitting mosquito and strengthening of health networks, especially in peripheral areas. Among the actions, we are using Larvicide Dissemination Stations, which help reduce the development of larvae in breeding sites,” she said.
She also mentioned that vaccination against dengue remains an important strategy, although it is still limited by the availability of doses provided by manufacturers. “The public and locations are still restricted in our country due to the limited quantity of the vaccine we receive from manufacturers,” recalled the minister.
Recently, the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio da Silva, and Minister Nísia Trindade launched the 2024/2025 Action Plan to reduce the impacts of dengue and other arboviruses. With an investment of approximately R$1.5 billion, the initiative seeks to reduce the number of cases and deaths from dengue, chikungunya, Zika and Oropouche in the next seasonal period in Brazil.
As of October 1st of this year, Brazil had registered 6,533,585 probable cases of dengue fever. In 2023, there were 1,649,146. Regarding Zika, as of September 21st, there were 6,311 probable cases, compared to 11,534 in 2023. For chikungunya, as of this month, 258,396 probable cases were recorded, while in 2023 the total was 158,060.