The number of cases of dengue fever in Brazil has doubled in three and a half months of this year compared to the same period in 2021, Globo TV channel reports, citing the country's Ministry of Health.

So, according to the agency, from January 2 to April 16, almost 465 thousand cases of dengue were registered, which is 104.5% more than a year earlier. Of these, 131 were fatal, another 191 deaths were also likely due to dengue fever, the channel reports. The most dangerous is the epidemiological situation in the center and in the west of the country. The largest outbreaks were the administrative center of the state of Goiás - Goiania, where there are more than 1.8 thousand infections per 100 thousand inhabitants, as well as the capital of the South American Republic - Brasilia (more than 840 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants).

In addition to dengue, local epidemiologists also record an increase in infections with the Zika virus, which causes serious pathologies in the development of the fetus in pregnant women. In less than three months of 2022, about 1.5 thousand cases of infection were detected in Brazil, which is almost a third more than in the first quarter of last year.

Dengue and zika are transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Dengue is a viral infection that predominates in tropical and subtropical regions. Its symptoms are high fever, nausea, rash, headaches and back pain. Zika is a fever that is especially dangerous for children, the elderly, those suffering from chronic diseases, and during pregnancy, as it harms the fetus. The disease is often asymptomatic.