The Dengue outbreak in Brazil has infected over 3 million individuals, and there’s a possibility that the actual count could be much higher.
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Dengue outbreak in Brazil
Brazil had the highest number of Dengue cases last year, with over 5 million reported. This year, the situation has worsened as Brazil has already recorded over 3 million cases within the first four months of the year.
Over 1600 deaths have been recorded in the country due to this terrible disease. The health ministry provided this data on Saturday and announced the Dengue outbreak in Brazil.
A greater number of patients are women compared to men, with females accounting for over 55% of the total infected patients by Dengue in Brazil.
Measures to tackle the outbreak
Various measures are implemented to address this issue. The nation has commenced administering vaccines to lower the risk and ensure the welfare of its population and has become the first ever nation to do so.
Vaccination campaigns are underway throughout the nation, and the effects will soon be evident. Scientists have also discovered another measure to counter dengue outbreaks, which is called Wolbachia Bacteria.
Wolbachia Bacteria
This bacteria is a part of the World Mosquito Program, According to www.worldmosquitoprogram.org, “Wolbachia are extremely common bacteria that occur naturally in 50 percent of insect species, including some mosquitoes, fruit flies, moths, dragonflies, and butterflies.
Wolbachia bacteria are safe for humans and the environment. Independent risk analyses indicate that the release of Wolbachia mosquitoes poses negligible risk to humans and the environment.
Wolbachia lives inside insect cells and is passed from one generation to the next through an insect’s eggs. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes don’t normally carry Wolbachia, however many other mosquitoes do.”
Releasing mosquitos infected with Wolbachia into the natural environment will ultimately lead to a reduction in the population of dengue-infected mosquitos as Wolbachia reduces the ability of a mosquito to transmit the dengue virus.
The Rising Temperature and Viruses
Mosquito-borne viruses such as Zika, malaria, and dengue are on the brink of becoming more prevalent due to the continuous rise in the Earth’s overall temperature.
The number of these viruses is growing with each passing year, leading to a higher number of fatalities. Last month we covered the tensions in Puerto Rico about this virus, where the government had to declare an epidemic of Dengue.
Prevention is better than cure!
High fever, headache, rash, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, and nose bleeding, are some symptoms of Dengue fever. It is advisable to avoid experiencing these symptoms that resemble torture.
Physicians have disclosed that certain individuals have passed away solely due to prolonged suffering from these pains, most of them were aged above 75 years.
It is widely known that preventing a problem is more effective than trying to fix it later on. We, the NewsPointUS team also recommend that you exercise caution and try to prevent the infection.
To prevent dengue, you can:
- Avoid mosquito bites: Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants, socks, and full shoes. Use mosquito repellents on exposed skin, and spray around buildings.
- Use screens: Use window and door screens, and don’t leave doors propped open.
- Empty and scrub water containers: Get rid of tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots, or trash containers.
- Use air conditioning: If available, use air conditioning instead of opening windows and doors.
- Use mosquito nets: Use mosquito nets when sleeping, ideally, nets are sprayed with insect repellent.
- Eat Clean: Eat Clean, Stay Clean is what all of us have heard in our childhood that applies here.