Rio de Janeiro declares state of emergency due to dengue cases
The city of Rio de Janeiro declared a state of emergency on Monday (Feb. 5) due to a surge in hospitalizations for suspected cases of dengue fever.
Last Friday (2), local authorities unveiled a contingency plan to tackle the epidemic, encompassing measures to aid the population and combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the dengue virus.
The plan includes the opening of ten care units, the establishment of the Emergency Operations Center (COE-Dengue), and the provision of hospital beds for dengue patients. Additionally, there are plans to deploy fumigation vehicles in areas with the highest case rates and to mandate access to closed and abandoned properties.
Data released on Friday revealed that the municipality of Rio de Janeiro has already recorded over 10,000 cases of dengue this year, nearly half of the total for the entire year of 2023 (22,959). The disease's incidence rate stands at 160.68 per 100,000 inhabitants.
