ROME, MAY 01 - The state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil, has declared a state of health emergency, after 165,853 probable cases of dengue fever were registered in the state between January and April 2019, with an increase of 921.4% compared to the same period in 2018. Twenty-one deaths were confirmed by the virus, and 66 cases are being analyzed.
According to the portal of the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, the disease has seasonal cycles, and every three or four years one of the types of virus predominates. In the 2016 epidemic, most of the recorded cases were type 1. This year, they are type 2, which could lead to more serious consequences.
"Given that 2019 has similarities, in relation to the number of reported cases, with years in which there were epidemics, the state is on alert and is taking all the necessary measures to control dengue," explained the program's state coordinator for disease control, Marcia Ooteman.