U.S Beware : Dengue Fever Outbreak

Health authorities in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande, in the southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, are fighting a dengue fever epidemic.

A state of emergency is coming into effect in Campo Grande on Monday, which will allow city authorities to hire extra workers and purchase medicine without putting contracts out to tender.  

Twenty Days into 2013 and there has been approx 6000 residents a day that have reported suffering from the symtoms of Dengue Fever.  Mosquito’s that transmit the disease have been using the heavy rains to increase their reproduction cycle.

  Campo Grande has had to hire hundreds of extra worker to clear the streets of standing water where the mosquitoes have been breeding. 

The federal authorities said that nationwide two people had died from dengue fever.

Apart from Campo Grande, the city of Vitoria in Espiritu Santo state has also seen a steep rise in the incidence of dengue cases with more than 1,500 cases reported this month.

Brazil’s health minister has warned local authorities to reinforce their dengue prevention programmes and to urge residents to cover any standing water, such as tanks.

In Paraguay, across the border from Mato Grosso do Sul, eight people have died from the fever and more than 8,500 suspected cases have been reported.

There, the army and the police have been deployed to help clear potential mosquito breeding grounds.