State of health emergency declared in Rio de Janeiro ahead of carnival

(Patria) - Authorities in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro have declared a public health emergency due to a dengue fever epidemic, just days before the start of carnival across Brazil.

Despite this, the epidemic is not expected to disrupt the carnival, which officially begins on Friday evening and lasts until February 14.

The Rio de Janeiro City Council has announced the opening of 10 care centres, an emergency operations centre, and the deployment of hospital beds for patients with dengue fever, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

In regions with the highest number of recorded infections, authorities will also use vehicles that release mosquito control agents into the air.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 10,000 dengue fever infections have been recorded in Rio de Janeiro, which is slightly less than half of the total for the entire year of 2023, when 23,000 cases were reported.

The public health emergency was declared at a time when tourists are arriving in Rio for street parties and lavish samba school parades.

Dengue fever is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes and is more common in tropical climates.

Frequent rains and high temperatures, which accelerate the hatching of mosquito eggs and the development of larvae, make the warm Rio susceptible to dengue fever epidemics.

However, the problem exists across Brazil. Due to the surge in dengue fever infections, at least four states have declared a public health emergency.