Brazil Reports 75% Drop in Dengue Cases as New Tools and Vaccines Scale

Overview

• The Health Ministry reported 227,500 probable dengue cases from January to April 11, down from 916,400 a year earlier, a 75% decline.
• Officials cite wider use of ovitraps, releases of sterile mosquitoes, expansion of the Wolbachia method, and targeted vaccination that has reached 1.4 million teens plus more than 300,000 adults in a Butantan pilot.
• In Minas Gerais, a statewide larval survey found 606 of 853 municipalities in alert or risk status for dengue, chikungunya or Zika, signaling persistent local vulnerability.
• Piauí identified circulation of dengue virus type 3 and classified 28 municipalities as high risk, prompting stepped-up vector control and home clean-up appeals.
• São Paulo confirmed one death from yellow fever in Cunha and two nonfatal cases in Cruzeiro, all in unvaccinated adults, and urged people to check their shots before travel to rural or forest areas.