Dengue fever: Why Brazil still can’t fight the disease

The growing wave of Dengue infections in the country has sparked warnings and questions about: Why wasn’t Brazil successful in fighting the disease?It has been available in our region since the 1980s.

However, one of the most important challenges in controlling the epidemic is combating its vector, the mosquito. Aedes aegypti, It is responsible for the spread of Zika and Chikungunya viruses as well as dengue fever.

In order to have a more positive outcome of the epidemic situation, various technologies are being developed to prevent the disease from becoming a health problem in the country in the future.

Learn more about the history of dengue, forms of prevention, and technologies developed to combat the disease and its vector.

Dengue fever in Brazil: a historic problem

The history of Dengue fever in Brazil begins with the importation of its vector during the great maritime era. It is believed that the Aedes aegypti mosquito was originally brought to our lands from Africa on slave ships.

But in 1955, mosquitoes were eradicated thanks to a massive campaign to eliminate urban yellow fever. However, thanks to the relaxation of sanitary and preventive measures, the mosquito returned to the scene in 1960, bringing with it the first recorded case of dengue fever in 1981..

Since then, Brazil has faced epidemics and epidemics. However, we recently witnessed the worst dengue outbreak in the country’s history. In the first few months of 2024 alone, the number of cases exceeded the figures recorded in previous years.

Why is dengue fever so dangerous?

Dengue fever brings with it many differences compared to other viral diseases, especially when it comes to acquired immunity. There are four serotypes of the disease and we are susceptible to all of them. From first contact you are only immune to the specific type of infection.

But there is a trick. The disease may be more serious if you become infected with any of the other variants.

This is because your immune cells partially recognize the pathogen but do not try to fight it. This can lead to more serious conditions and the development of a disease called hemorrhagic dengue fever, which can be fatal.

Therefore, it is very important to comply with preventive measures regarding transmission and eliminate mosquito outbreaks. Aedes aegypti.

How can technology help in the fight against Dengue?

It is essential to develop technologies so that we can stop the epidemic and prevent other epidemics. Technologies that support this scenario include: dengue vaccine made with four known strains of viruses that cause the disease.

However, the production capacity of the company responsible for the development of the vaccine is an obstacle to access for the entire population.

Another way to combat the vector involves genetic editing of mosquitoes. These genetically modified vectors help to reduce the species by contacting females that are the sole transmitters of the virus and creating sterile offspring.

However, although it produced positive results, it was not an effective measure due to the number of “wild” insects in circulation. The use of artificial intelligence can also contribute to predicting new infection outbreaks, risk areas, as well as when and where a new epidemic may break out..

With this focus, researchers from the Urban Management master’s program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) have developed software that can predict new attention points with 90% accuracy.

The software developed by the researchers aims to understand and clarify the relationships between environmental and urban patterns that may contribute to new epidemiological cases.

Understanding the relationships between climate, transmission cycles, disease spread, places with higher risk potential, among other factors, contributes to more effective measures to combat the problem. All these technological measures are necessary to combat the disease vector.

Brazilian challenges

Dengue fever doesn’t only occur in Brazil. However, as a continental country, One of the obstacles to the success of campaigns against dengue fever is the regional characteristics of each state and city..

In our country, climate differences, different temperatures, rain cycle, encouragement of struggle, and citizens’ constant caution against epidemics, among other variables, contribute negatively to the success of the fight against dengue fever.

The best form of prevention at this time is the use of repellents, maintenance of areas where water may accumulate, and awareness of garbage disposal.

In political spheres, greater incentives for enforcement, training of health officials, maintenance of landfills and deposits, and campaigns that bring together relevant information for each region could also be means to combat this.

But unless there is coordination among all segments of our society, Brazil will continue to suffer. We cannot stop an evil that has accompanied us since the colonization of the country: Aedes aegypti.

If you are experiencing signs and symptoms of dengue fever, such as fever and red spots on your body, contact a healthcare provider.