Rio de Janeiro declares state of emergency due to dengue fever outbreak

The authorities in Rio de Janeiro have declared a health emergency due to an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever. It is expected that the outbreak will not disrupt the carnival, which will officially begin on the evening of February 9 and last until February 14.

However, it has prompted the city to take a number of special measures in the hope of containing the disease as tourists have already begun to arrive. It opened 10 special facilities for patients and an emergency centre. Special vehicles will be sent to the areas where the most cases of infection have been detected to spray insecticides, apnews.com reports.

Since the beginning of 2024, more than 10 thousand cases of dengue fever have been registered in Rio de Janeiro. For comparison, 23 thousand cases were detected in the city in 2023.

According to the World Health Organization, dengue is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes during bites. Even though many cases of the disease are asymptomatic, sometimes it can lead to a serious condition and even death. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, and rash.