Under the theme “Every day is a day to fight against the mosquito”, the Ministry of Health today (20) launched the National Campaign against the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits diseases such as dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya.

According to the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, the campaign aims to mobilize citizens to participate effectively in the fight. “We cannot do this alone. If there is no cooperation from society, every year we will have cases and cases of dengue,” Queiroga said at the event in Brasilia.

Also according to the Minister, prevention is the best way to fight against the disease and any place of stagnant water must be eliminated, since this is where the transmitting mosquito lays its eggs.

The campaign will be broadcast on television, radio and the Internet and will provide both information on the main sources of mosquito proliferation and advice on prevention.

Simple actions can help fight mosquitoes, especially in the backyard. Among the measures that can be adopted are: avoiding standing water in small objects, tires, bottles and potted plants; keep the water tank always closed and carry out periodic cleaning; sealing wells and cisterns; dispose of garbage properly.

Numbers
The number of dengue fever cases in Brazil has increased by almost 185% this year, compared to between January and October 2022 and the same period last year. In 2021, 478,500 cases were recorded, a number which has risen to 1.3 million this year. A Health Ministry survey also reports 909 confirmed deaths from the disease.

In 2022, chikungunya cases also saw a significant increase, 89.9%, compared to last year. By October this year, 168,900 cases had already been reported in the country. Zika, on the other hand, indicated a 92.6% increase in 2022, but no deaths were recorded due to the virus.

Editing: Lilian Beraldo