War on dengue
The governments of Rio and São Paulo are deploying an army in the streets to eradicate outbreaks of the disease. In 2010, there were 39 deaths in Rio.
247, with information from Agência Estado – Even with the deaths of 39 people in 2010, only now have the governments of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo declared war on the dengue mosquito. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, where 39 people died last year (three times more than the previous year), more than 50 homes were inspected on Saturday the 2nd. The greatest concern is with the municipalities in the Rio metropolitan area, and the most serious dengue outbreak was identified in the city of Niterói, where virus type 4 was isolated in two residents. This is worrying, since the population of 15,9 million people is not immunized against it. Prevention is fundamental to prevent the state from becoming the scene of a major epidemic.
In São Paulo, the State Week for Combating Dengue Fever will begin this Monday, the 4th, and according to the São Paulo Health Department, approximately 25,000 agents will participate in the activities, which aim to alert the population about the importance of eliminating breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. In the city of São Paulo, the official opening of the operation will take place at 9:00 AM in Campo Limpo, one of the areas of the municipality considered a priority in the fight against the disease. Ninety agents will patrol the streets of the neighborhood, starting from Reinaldo Macanha Square.
Throughout the state, activities will be carried out to intensify the search and elimination of mosquito breeding sites house-to-house, provide guidance to the population, inspect schools, conduct educational campaigns, and carry out sweeps, among other actions. The secretariat will also distribute approximately 500 pamphlets at toll plazas on highways managed by Dersa and the concessionaires Colinas, SPVias, and AutoBan. Another 20 posters about the statewide week were distributed to municipalities. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, Saturday the 2nd was the Day of the Crusade Against Dengue, promoted to combat the spread of the disease in the 92 municipalities of Rio de Janeiro. 185 scrap yards, 252 tire shops, and 1.566 vacant lots were inspected. In total, 126 communities in the capital, 26 in the Baixada Fluminense, 24 in the metropolitan region, and four in the interior were visited.