The Federal District (DF) remains on alert for dengue fever.
Data released by the Health Department shows that Brasília is on alert regarding the total number of residences with the presence of Aedes aegypti larvae — the mosquito that transmits dengue fever and Chikungunya; the overall building infestation index in the Federal District was 1,69; of the 31 cities surveyed, nine presented a satisfactory index; 20, on alert; and two, at risk; from January 1st to April 20th of this year, 2.403 cases of dengue were registered in the Federal District, a reduction of 37,49% compared to the same period last year.
Isaac Marra, from Agência Brasília - Data released by the Health Department, this Wednesday (24), shows that Brasília is on alert regarding the total number of residences with the presence of Aedes aegypti larvae — the mosquito that transmits dengue and Chikungunya fever. The overall building infestation index in the DF was 1,69. Of the 31 cities surveyed, nine presented a satisfactory index; 20, an alert index; and two, a risk index.
The classification is divided into: satisfactory (index less than 1%), alert (between 1% and 3,9%), and outbreak risk (greater than 3,9%). Conducted from March 23 to 27 of this year, the 2nd Rapid Index Survey for Aedes aegypti (LIRAa) of 2015 — the first was in January — uses a methodology employed by the Ministry of Health.
Climatic and behavioral factors contributed to this result. During periods of heavy rain and high temperatures, the mosquito's breeding cycle is longer, especially in April and May, according to Ailton Domicio, a technician from the Dengue Prevention Mobilization Advisory Unit of the Health Surveillance Sub-Secretariat of the Health Secretariat.
"We know that more than 90% of the population knows about dengue fever, knows what needs to be done, but unfortunately, we don't have a proactive approach to inspecting our homes and eliminating containers with standing water," laments Domicio.
Measurement and prevention
The study makes it possible to detect the number of mosquito breeding sites through the Building Infestation Index (BII) — the ratio between the total number of residences with mosquito larvae and the number of properties inspected per location.
Cities with more than 12 properties are divided into city blocks. Sampling is done through random selection, and inspection is carried out on 20% of the total. The resulting index guides actions to combat the spread of the disease, especially in areas with a high number of reported outbreaks.
From January 1st to April 20th of this year, 2.403 cases of dengue fever were registered in the Federal District, a number 37,49% lower than the 3.844 confirmed cases in the same period last year.
Planaltina, Sobradinho II, and Gama account for 904 cases—equivalent to 37,6% of the cases registered during that period. Regarding Chikungunya fever, the Health Department recorded three confirmed cases in 2015.