São Paulo to declare a dengue health emergency

Dengue patients wait for treatment. Photo: Marcelo Camargo/AgBr

The state government of São Paulo on Tuesday announced it made the decision to declare a dengue emergency — being the ninth of 27 states to do so. The move allows the state to expedite the procurement of materials and personnel, as well as receive federal funds.

The state’s Health Department told The Brazilian Report a decree formalizing the move will be published “in the coming days.”

São Paulo is Brazil’s wealthiest and most populous state, with over 44 million people, over 11 million of which live in its namesake capital.

The state’s emergency committee recommended the declaration of emergency after suspected cases surpassed 300 per 100,000 people. Twenty-two out of the state’s 645 municipalities have already declared a state of emergency within their own limits.

In a statement, the São Paulo government said the funds will be used primarily to purchase nebulizers and hire personnel. Nebulizers are used to spray insecticide on streets and other places where adult mosquitoes are present, but do not kill their larvae.

Infectious disease expert Esper Kallás, head of the Butantan biological research center, told reporters that officials cannot predict when the epidemic will reach its peak.

“The number of cases continues to grow, we still don’t know when the peak will be… Since there are states in a much worse situation than São Paulo, we have to be prepared”, Mr. Kallás said.

The latest Health Ministry data shows that Brazil has surpassed 1.2 million likely dengue cases, a record for this time of year, and 278 confirmed deaths, with 744 others under investigation. The epidemic is also projected to impact the economy.