Brasília - The government's actions to control dengue resulted in a 73.3% reduction in the incidence of the disease in the first half of 2004, in comparison with the same period last year. Data from the Ministry of Health's Secretariat of Health Surveillance show that 84.535 people contracted dengue in the first six months of this year, as against the 299,764 cases reported in the first half of 2003.

The only Brazilian state in which the number of reported cases of dengue increased (by 31.4%) was Amapá, where 2,276 people were infected. The Ministry of Health provided guidance to the state and redirected equipment for the application of insecticides, as well as other measures to keep the disease from spreading.

In the South, which reported 303 cases, the reduction amounted to 96.9%. The Northeast, with 25,110 cases, showed a 83.3% decrease. The decline in the Southeast was 64.8%, with 29,084 cases reported in the first half of 2004. In the Center-West, with 12,595 victims, there was a 57.7% drop. In the North, with 12,928 cases, the reduction came to 50.5%.

Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein
10/25/2004