Dengue cases grow 33% in Bahia last year

At least 9 municipalities are in an epidemic state; see which ones

During 2023, Bahia recorded 47,753 probable cases of dengue, which represents an increase of 33% compared to the previous year, when there were 35,894 records. Between January and December last year, almost 400 cities in Bahia reported the disease, according to the Bahia State Health Department (Sesab). Probable cases include patients with inconclusive diagnoses and exclude those who were discarded.

For experts, the growth in the number of cases from one year to the next has to do with the increase in temperature in the state. At least five heat waves affected Bahia in 2023, which caused maximum temperatures of 40ºC in some regions of the state. Hot weather helps the proliferation of the aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the disease.

Data released on December 26 by Sesab indicate that nine municipalities are facing a dengue epidemic. They are: Cabaceiras do Paraguaçu, Matina, Piatã, Piripá, Rio do Antônio, Rodelas, Tanque Novo, Utinga and Vitória da Conquista. An epidemic occurs when there is an increase in the number of cases in several locations, without, however, reaching a global scale.

“We are entering the weeks of the year in which the number of cases is expected to increase, in addition to the heat wave that is hitting all of Brazil, accompanied by rain. This is the best climate structure for mosquito proliferation”, explained Alberto Chebabo, president of the Brazilian Association of Infectious Diseases, during the webinar held by pharmaceutical company Takeda at the end of the year.

Despite the increase in the number of cases, deaths due to the disease decreased in Bahia between 2022 and 2023. There were 20 deaths last year, compared to 24 the previous year. Sesab does not specify the municipalities where the deaths occurred. On a national scale, Brazil broke a record for dengue deaths in 2023, with 1,079 deaths.

In the historical series of the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan), the highest number of deaths in the period of a full year occurred in 2022, when it reached 1,053 records. Then comes 2015, with 986 deaths.