Brazil: Paraná intensifies the fight against dengue fever
With the aim of strengthening the fight against dengue fever and implementing measures to intensify the fight against arbovirus vectors, especially the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the State Health Department (Sesa) held this Friday (Nov. 22), in Curitiba, the first meeting of the Intersectoral Committee for Dengue Control for the 2024/2025 epidemiological period. The committee brings together representatives from 13 state departments, autarchies and agencies, in addition to 32 partner institutions.
The meeting was held in commemoration of National Dengue Fever Day, November 22. During the meeting, the current panorama of the disease in the state was presented, as well as the action and contingency plan prepared by Sesa for the new seasonality, in addition to the initiatives implemented in partnership with the 399 municipalities of Paraná to reduce cases and deaths caused by the disease. There were also discussions regarding the actions that will be developed by the secretariats and partner members in the fight against arboviruses.
“We need effective alignment and expansion of joint actions between the various government agencies and civil society entities to ensure results in combating the mosquito and, consequently, reduce the number of dengue cases,” stated the director of Health Care and Surveillance at Sesa, Maria Goretti David Lopes.
Sesa's main initiatives include training and education, reinforcement of field actions, clean-up campaigns in municipalities and awareness campaigns to eliminate mosquito breeding sites in domestic environments. Other strategies include the application of fumigation, qualified clinical care for suspected cases and innovative measures, such as the release of so-called wolbitos – mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria that prevent the transmission of the dengue, zika, chikungunya and yellow fever viruses.
“The fight against dengue fever is ongoing and the committee’s work aims to facilitate the integration and work of teams in localities and municipalities through its various members. We need to come together to develop strategies and expand the control and fight against dengue fever, and we also count on the participation of the population. Citizens are the main actors in the fight against dengue fever,” highlighted Andréa Cristina Silva, representative of the Council of Municipal Health Secretaries of Paraná.
Director Maria Goretti also highlighted the importance of the population’s involvement in combating the disease. “Popular participation is essential in this fight against the mosquito. This is a shared responsibility, and each citizen has a fundamental role to play in winning this battle. We need everyone’s commitment to removing and eliminating breeding sites. Only through unity and collective effort will we be able to reduce dengue cases and protect our communities,” she said.
Data from the new epidemiological period, which began on July 28, 2024, show that Paraná has already registered 34,589 notifications of the disease, with 3,981 confirmed diagnoses and one death due to dengue until last Tuesday (Nov. 19). In the last period (2023/2024), Paraná had 624,995 confirmed cases and 742 deaths.