Itaquera receives the 1st tent to treat suspected dengue – 02/06/2024 – Health

The first tent to provide care for people with dengue symptoms in the city of São Paulo began operating this Monday (6).

The equipment is inside the UPA (Emergency Care Unit) August 26, in Vila Carmosina, Itaquera region, east of the capital.

According to the latest epidemiological bulletin released by the secretariat, the Itaquera district has the highest number of dengue cases in the city in the first 30 days of the year. During the period, there were 337 confirmations of the disease with an incidence coefficient of 157.8 (rate that determines the number of cases per 100 thousand inhabitants). There are 3,344 records of dengue throughout the municipality.

According to the municipal secretary of Health, Luiz Carlos Zamarco, the tent is a preventive action in case of an increase in dengue fever records in the region. Until 10:30 am this Tuesday (2) only two patients had been treated at the site.

“We have observed in the Itaquera region that people in their homes really like plants, they have many pots and this is one of the reasons why cases of dengue fever have increased. We have found small plates of plants with mosquito larvae in several homes,” he says. the secretary.

As of Monday night (5), 30 people were hospitalized with the disease in municipal hospitals. Of the total, ten are from the east zone, according to the secretary. The city recorded four suspected deaths from the disease — one was ruled out and three remain under investigation.

For now, according to Zamarco, there is no intention of opening new tents.

“We don’t see the need, because we prepared a lot in 2023 with the opening of new services. The mayor opened UPAs, UBSs [Unidades Básicas de Saúde], we renovated the UBS, trained employees in the identification and treatment of dengue, and purchased the rapid test for all units. This brought agility, a quick response in the city and did not impact health care”, he states.

Use of drones

The Municipal Health Department started using drones to apply larvicide in difficult-to-access places that require intervention.

Around 100 endemic disease agents work on house-to-house visits in Itaquera with the aim of searching for mosquito breeding sites and guiding the population — there are 12 thousand agents throughout the city. The idea is to repeat the actions throughout the municipality.

“Where our agents are unable to enter, we use drones. First, we notify the owners of these properties, instructing them to make the opening available for our agents to enter and apply the larvicide in places where breeders exist. And in cases where we are unable to find this owner, we will use a drone that will apply the larvicide”, says Zamarco.