Deadly outbreak of dengue fever hits Brazil's Rio region

Last update: April 14, 2008 - 8:23 PM

RIO DE JANIERO, BRAZIL - Recent heavy rains have created a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying the dengue fever virus, deepening a crisis that has now killed at least 80 people in the Rio region.

The current dengue strain is considered more lethal than the virus responsible for an epidemic in 2002, which had been the worst in recent history in Brazil, according to Rio's health secretary.

The spreading epidemic has shown no signs of slowing. Since January, 75,399 people have been infected in Rio state, health officials said. The mortality rate is more than three times higher than during the 2002 epidemic, which killed 91 people.

There is no vaccine for dengue, which is spread by bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Dengue produces high fever, a rash, nausea, vomiting and severe joint and muscle pains. Children under the age of 15, who have little immunity, are the most susceptible. At least 36 children have died from the disease this year in Rio state.

As the death toll has mounted, public officials have been slow to react, in part because no one could decide if it was a city, state or federal issue. In recent days, though, physicians have been brought in from other states, and the federal government has sent in 1,700 military personnel to help.

The latest outbreak was triggered by heavy rains over the past few months. The mosquito breeds in pools of stagnant water and discarded tires that collect water, both of which are common in the area's shantytowns .

The dengue outbreak also is taking a toll on tourism. Embassies of several countries, including the United States, issued alerts on their websites about the epidemic in Rio, Brazil's main tourist gateway.

NEW YORK TIMES

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