Dengue fever is a vector-borne disease that is mainly endemic to tropical regions of the world. It has become more prevalent since 1960, possibly due to population increase, climate change, and foreign travel. Many people contract the infection because of the absence of efficient strategies to curb its spread and poor policy management (Hosangadi, 2019). For instance, the U.S. had reduced morbidity and mortality rates significantly at the start of the 20th century.
However, containment and eradication measures ended around 1980, and the epidemic exploded again. It was brought to America by travelers and spread quickly due to lack of efforts to control the problem. Additionally, some of the measures used became ineffective over time. Mosquitoes, the vectors that spread dengue fever, became resistant to dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) pesticide. Countries also had a slow response to outbreaks because of decreased community surveillance.
Brazil is one of the countries where dengue fever is endemic. The prevalence of the disease in this country is high due to poor sanitation, deforestation, and climate change (Salles et al., 2018). To reduce or eliminate the spread of dengue fever, Brazil takes stringent surveillance measures to detect the disease in its early stages. Swift action is critical in the control of the spread of the epidemic (Hosangadi, 2019). In the past, Brazil’s eradication plan has mainly focused on three strategies, that is, sanitation, education and social mobilization. For instance, sanitation in urban areas and proper waste disposition can help combat dengue.
It is essential to involve the public in such actions by educating them on the importance of and ways to control the disease (Salles et al., 2018). By creating awareness, people are likely to take necessary measures to keep themselves safe. Such efforts include clearing stagnant water, using mosquito repellant, and spraying insecticide in the corners of houses. Finally, dengue control and eradication is a continuous and long-term process undertaken by the country since laxity gives the vectors a chance to breed and multiply.
References
Hosangadi, D. (2019). The global rise of dengue infections. Outbreak Observatory. Web.
Salles, T.S., da Encarnação Sá-Guimarães, T., de Alvarenga, E.S.L. et al. (2018). History, epidemiology and diagnostics of dengue in the American and Brazilian contexts: A review. Parasites Vectors 11(1), 1-12. Web.