Since January this year, seven states and the Federal District have declared a state of health emergency due to the high transmission of dengue in the territory. The states are Acre, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Santa Catarina.
Among the capitals, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Florianópolis (SC), Macapá (AP), Natal (RN), and Belo Horizonte (MG) have also declared an epidemiological emergency due to the disease.
Brazil has recorded 1,538,183 probable cases and 391 deaths from dengue, according to the most recent update from the Arbovirus Monitoring Panel of the Ministry of Health. On average, 757 cases of dengue are recorded per 100,000 inhabitants.
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers that rates above 300 cases per 100,000 inhabitants indicate an epidemic situation.
The decree allows for the urgent implementation of prevention and risk containment measures for epidemics, outbreaks, emerging diseases, and disasters, as defined by the Ministry of Health.