Minas Gerais records first dengue death of the year.

Minas 247 - The Municipal Health Department of Uberaba, in the Triângulo Mineiro region, registered the first death from dengue fever in Minas Gerais this year, 2013. The positive result came from the Ezequiel Dias Foundation (Funed) in Belo Horizonte, where the tests were conducted. The victim, a 48-year-old man who contracted the hemorrhagic type of the disease, died on January 14th.

According to the agency, the man was initially admitted to the Hospital das Clínicas of the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro with hemorrhagic fever and suspected leptospirosis.

The Minas Gerais State Health Department (SES) has not confirmed the dengue-related death in Uberaba, as it has not yet received the results of the tests performed at Funed.

According to the municipal health secretary of Uberaba, Fahim Miguel Sawan, 518 cases of the disease have already been registered in the first three weeks of 2013. He stated that in 2006, the city faced its worst outbreak, with more than 40 people infected. At that time, five deaths from dengue hemorrhagic fever were recorded.

According to Fahim Miguel, a task force has been assembled to combat the mosquito that transmits the disease. Two cleaning teams are visiting homes, six spraying vehicles are on the streets, 70 health agents have been hired, and clinics are prepared to treat patients.

Fahim Miguel warns that the peak of dengue infections generally occurs between the end of February and the end of May. "What worries me is the large number of children with dengue here in Uberaba; we are only facing the beginning of a war," says the secretary. In 2012, the municipality had 4328 cases.

The daily average of 366 dengue fever notifications in the state this January is 95,7% higher than that recorded in the same period of 2012 (187). According to the Rapid Aedes aegypti Index (LIRAa) of the State Health Secretariat (SES), 6.225 notifications had already been made up to January 17th. In the entire month of January last year, there were 5.803 reported cases. To try to contain the spread of the disease, the government will organize a cleanup campaign in the cities where the situation is most critical. The Secretary of Health, Antônio Jorge, admits that January could end with 10 notifications.

The measure was taken after at least ten cities reported problems with garbage collection – one of the main factors cited by the State Health Department (SES) for the increase in dengue cases. "The situation is alarming. We've had a high frequency of severe cases of the disease, in addition to an increase in reported cases. And a large part of the responsibility for this lies with the lack of garbage collection in several cities in Minas Gerais," said the secretary. In 83% of the municipalities, there was a change of mayors, disrupting the previously organized health system, he explained.

Next week, the department will contact the Basic Sanitation Company of Minas Gerais (Copasa) and the State Civil Defense to work with machinery and trained personnel in cleanup efforts. "It seems like a medieval measure, but now we need to clean up the cities that have accumulated a lot of garbage in recent weeks. We'll see if the municipalities accept the help, and how soon we can start doing this," the secretary added.

To date, 13 cities in Minas Gerais have declared a state of emergency due to reported dengue fever cases – although the State Health Department (SES) has only been officially notified by eight municipalities. The most critical regions are Vale do Aço and Northern Minas Gerais, where 280 health agents have been sent by the department to help combat outbreaks of the disease.