Dengue fever outbreaks appear to be subsiding in Brazil

Ceará State

Health officials are concerned by increases in the number of deaths and serious cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) confirmed across the state. To date, there have been 60 deaths and 582 cases of DHF.

Alagoas State

While the number of cases of dengue fever is declining, there are still 31 municipalities on alert status for dengue fever. From January 2011 to June, there were 7,062 suspected dengue cases, of which 3,492 were confirmed by laboratory tests.

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State

During the first 6 months of 2011, officials recorded a total of 6,027 dengue fever cases. In general the number of reported cases has been decreasing.

Rio de Janeiro State

During the first 6 months of 2011, the state experienced significan outbreaks of dengue fever with a total of 109 dengue deaths and 147,346 cases of dengue fever. However, with the onset of cooler temperatures, there has been a decrease in reported cases. For example, in May, there were 31,848 reported cases, but in June there were only 3,999 cases.

Rio Claro, São Paulo State

The city recorded 115 new dengue cases in one week, bringing the total for 2011 to 1,525 cases.

While cooler temperatures will reduce the mosquito population in the more temperate areas of Brazil, and thus reduce the risk of exposure to dengue fever, travellers to Brazil should still be aware of the residual risk of exposure to dengue fever virus, especially in the more tropical areas. Travellers should take all necessary precautions to avoid mosquito bites.