MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Rio do Janeiro admit a dengue epidemic: over 50.000 cases and 12 deaths

The marvellous city famous for its beaches, women, Carnival and mosquitoes

The Brazilian ‘marvellous city’ of Rio do Janeiro officially declared it is suffering an epidemics emergency of the mosquito transmitted disease of dengue, following confirmed reports of over 50.000 cases so far this year, and 500 in the last week.

“We have a plan focused on the epidemic and we will continue with the state of alert.

This is the moment when we most need the collaboration from citizens, because our priority now is prevention of the disease”, said the city’s Health Secretary Hans Dohmann.

He revealed that last week only 517 cases were reported and the number of cases per 100.000 inhabitants is already above 300, “which is really alarming”.

In the whole state of Rio do Janeiro until this week 64.423 dengue cases had been confirmed with 13 deaths of which 12 in the city of Rio.

In 2011 dengue which is endemic in most of tropical Brazil the number of cases reached 168.242 with 140 dead.

Dengue is a viral epidemic transmitted by the Aedes Aegyptis mosquito which proliferates in the rainy season, mainly because of poor sanitary conditions and stagnant water.

Besides high fever, pain in joints, skin eruptions the disease causes serious dehydration because of vomiting and diarrhoea. The haemorrhagic version can be lethal.