Dengue: Minas Gerais state government declares state of emergency after 665 cases confirmed in Belo Horizonte | National newspaper

A spike in dengue cases in Minas Gerais has led to the state government declaring a state of emergency. Health centers are full of patients.

Fernanda Gomez de Araujo Santana's mother was hospitalized in this emergency unit in Belo Horizonte for two days, suffering from symptoms of dengue fever.

“There are people everywhere taking the serum,” says the manicurist.

The number of confirmed dengue cases in the state capital of Minas Gerais jumped from 157 to 665 in one week.

To help relieve pressure on crowded urban areas, the city of Belo Horizonte opened five health centers this weekend to deal specifically with suspected dengue cases.

After three days of fever and body aches, teacher Caroline Fonseca decided to come to the clinic and discovered that she also had dengue fever.

The teacher says: “I am very sick. I cannot even stand because I feel very dizzy. Neighbors and relatives, there are already many cases. Since the rains started, many cases have appeared.”

The largest hospital in Ipatinga, eastern Minas Gerais state, has reached maximum capacity due to dengue and chikungunya.

City Hall has asked the community to seek urgent and emergency care only in the emergency room in cases of extreme need.

The disease has now spread throughout the state. Therefore, on Saturday (27) the State Government of Minas Gerais published in the Official Gazette the Emergency Public Health Decree. “All administrative and assistance measures necessary to contain the increase in arbovirus infections are hereby authorized.

This procedure is valid for one hundred and eighty days.

“We should reach a very high level in a month or a month and a half, very similar to levels like 2016 and 2019, which were very serious pandemic years. So, this beginning is the right time for us to prepare the health system to receive those who should arrive,” he says. Fabio Paceretti, Minister of Health of the State of MG.

In addition to Minas Gerais, the governments of the Federal District and Acre also declared a state of emergency due to the spread of dengue fever.

Housewife Elvira Eski says: “The health center is very full, because the staff do not take care of themselves, they are neglectful, right?”

“I came today for a dengue test, right… I have all the symptoms… and then my son came for a dengue test yesterday,” says Roselli da Silva, Public Services Assistant.

The country recorded nearly 121,000 cases of dengue fever (120,874) this year, according to the Ministry of Health. 12 people died. The Federal District of Acre has the highest case rates per 100,000 inhabitants. Followed by Minas Gerias, Paraná and Goiás.

“The problem comes when this person has already had a dengue attack in the past. There is reinfection, a second, third, fourth time,” warns Vice President of the Brazilian Infectious Diseases Society, Alexandre Naime Barbosa. “In these cases, the new infection is likely to be more serious.”