MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Nearly 10,000 kids vaccinated against dengue in Brasilia

Minas Gerais tops the list of states with the most number of probable cases but Brasilia has the highest incidence rate

Nearly 10,000 children aged 10 to 11 have been vaccinated against dengue at 15 health centers in the last four days in Brazil's Federal District, Agência Brasil reported. In a statement, the Federal District Government (GDF) said that the 15 basic health units (UBS) will continue to operate throughout the carnival season.

 However, people already diagnosed with dengue must wait six months before starting the vaccination scheme, which consists of two doses with an interval of three months between them, it was explained.

The Federal District is the first unit of the federation to vaccinate against dengue through the Unified Health System (SUS). Goiás has already received the doses distributed by the Health Ministry and should start immunizing this same age group, children aged 10 to 11, next Thursday (15) in 51 municipalities. The Health Ministry said 521 municipalities in 16 states, as well as the Federal District, were selected for the campaign starting this month. The cities make up a total of 37 health regions which, according to the ministry, are considered endemic for the disease.

Brazil has already registered 512,353 probable cases of dengue since the beginning of 2024. There have also been 75 deaths from the disease, while 340 deaths are being investigated.

The dengue incidence rate in the country is currently 252.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Health Ministry's arbovirus monitoring panel.

Of the probable cases, 54.9% are women and 45.1% are men. The 30 to 39 age group continues to account for the largest number of cases, followed by the 40 to 49 age group and the 50 to 59 age group.

Minas Gerais tops the list of states with the most number of probable cases (171,769), followed by São Paulo (83,651), the Federal District (64,403), and Paraná (55,532). When considering the incidence rate, the Federal District comes first (2,286.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), followed by Minas Gerais (836.3), Acre (582.2), and Paraná (485.3).

(Source: Agencia Brasil)