Brasília, September 30, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The advent of the rainy season reinstates concern over the aedis aegypti mosquito, the carrier of dengue fever. Professionals from the Secretariat of Health Surveillance are promoting macro-regional meetings to evaluate the progress achieved through past campaigns to combat the mosquito and to discuss proposals for the coming rainy season.

Today, a meeting will be held in Cuiabá (MT) with state and municipal secretaries of Health from the Center-West region. On October 2, the meeting will be in Londrina (PR), with those in charge of the health area in the South region.

The coordinator-general of the Ministry of Health's National Program to Combat Dengue Fever (PNCD), Geovanini Coelho, informed that 90% of the breeding grounds of the aedis aegypti mosquito are found in residences.

The goal of the Ministry of Health for the coming rainy season is to reduce the incidence of dengue fever in Brazil by 25%. This year there was a 64% reduction in the number of cases during the period between January and August, whereas the goal was a 50% reduction. Even so, 289,173 cases of the disease were registered throughout the country. In 2002 there were 2,616 cases of hemorrhagic fever, the most serious form of dengue, and 154 people died. This year, 600 cases of hemorrhagic fever occurred, and 28 people died.

Coelho informed that, in addition to the macro-regional meetings, the Program is orienting state secretaries of Health to hold meetings in their states to discuss the fight against the dengue fever mosquito with municipal health institutions. (DAS)