Dengue: Belo Horizonte declares health emergency – 02/17/2024 – Balance and Health

Belo Horizonte City Hall declared a public health emergency this Saturday (17), due to the dengue epidemic affecting the capital of Minas Gerais.

Across Brazil, at least 94 people died as a result of dengue this year. Another 381 deaths are under investigation, according to the Ministry of Health.

The decree in Belo Horizonte, signed by Mayor Fuad Noman (PSD), determines that inspection teams may forcibly enter public or private properties that are unused to inspect whether there are mosquito breeding sites. Aedes aegypti. The measure will also be authorized in inhabited properties if the resident refuses to open the door to agents fighting endemic diseases.

“Following an already established flow of action, forced entry will be carried out after three inspection attempts on different days and times. If the visit is not possible, a report with the risk situation for arboviruses will be sent to the bodies responsible for inspection to take action. appropriate measures”, says a note from the city hall.

The municipal administration is also authorized to purchase goods and services without bidding and hire health professionals on an emergency basis. The decree is valid for six months and can be extended.

The capital of Minas Gerais has already registered 4,025 positive cases of dengue since the beginning of the year, in addition to 21,197 probable cases, according to the state government’s monitoring panel. Four people died as a result of the disease, and another five deaths are under investigation.

According to information from the Ministry of Health, Minas Gerais has 1 in every 3 probable cases of dengue in Brazil. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 192,258 registrations, compared to 555,583 across the country. Next come São Paulo (90,408), Distrito Federal (67,768), Paraná (58,660) and Rio de Janeiro (41,435).

The incidence coefficient (number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants) in Minas (936.1) is the second highest among the federation units, behind only the Federal District (2,405.6). Governor Romeu Zema (Novo) declared an emergency at the end of January.

According to WHO (World Health Organization) criteria, dengue is considered an epidemic when the incidence rate is greater than 300.