According to the latest dengue bulletin, the city has 33,877 notifications, 3,999 mosquito outbreaks and 10,042 positive dengue cases – Photo: Leonardo Sousa/ND

Due to the significant increase in the number of cases and outbreaks of dengue, Florianópolis City Hall is stepping up monitoring and control of mosquitoes and diseases in the municipality.

Teams from the Municipal Department of Health are currently working together in the areas of Centro, Ponta das Canas, Ratones, Canto da Lagoa, Alto Ribeirão and Saco dos Limoes. In addition, in all 63 districts of Florianópolis, CCZ (Centre for Zoonotic Disease Control) is engaged in complaint response activities, monitoring strategic points and larvicide distribution stations in addition to blocking the focus of PVE (Special Vector Investigation).

“We are working tirelessly on all these issues every day. Operating on Saturdays, holidays, our brigades are present and operate in all settlements of the municipality. In addition, we continue to hold weekly joint events and respond to all complaints. All situations that we discover that cannot be resolved by our teams are immediately forwarded to the Supervisory Inspectorate or to the sectors responsible for the discovered problem,” explains Marinis Teleginski, Technical Program Manager at CCZ Dengue.

Due to a significant increase in the number of cases and outbreaks of dengue, the municipality of Florianopolis is stepping up monitoring and control of mosquitoes and the disease in the municipality – Photo: Florianopolis City Hall/Information Disclosure

Wastelands, where many dengue outbreaks accumulate, are the focus of attention at work. Marinis asks everyone who knows about the existence of these places to report it. “We have channels to formalize this information. Since the complaint has been filed, it is likely that we are in those places, investigating and identifying those responsible in these situations so that they take responsibility for keeping the environment free of water deposits, ”he emphasizes. The channel for filing complaints about vacant lots is the City Hall’s traceability portal.

There are 33,877 notifications, 3,999 mosquito outbreaks and 10,042 positive cases of dengue, according to the city’s latest dengue bulletin released this Friday (25) CCZ. The capital also has at least 158 ​​hospitalizations and ten people have already died from the disease. As for chikungunya, there are 124 notifications and five positive cases.

For the past year, the mayor’s office says, registered numbers were half that of those tested in 2023 through May of this month.

The climate favors the reproduction of Aedes aegypti.

Municipal Health Department Teams Conduct Collaborative Activities in Neighborhoods – Photo: Florianopolis City Hall/Disclosure

Among the reasons that contribute to this explosion of outbreaks and cases in the municipality, the Zoonoses Control Center points to the location of the capital: Florianopolis is in a region with a very favorable climate for the spread of Aedes aegypti, with frequent periods of rain. and rather high temperatures, ideal conditions for breeding mosquitoes.

Marinis warns that the situation, which is currently a public health emergency in the municipality due to infection with Aedes aegypti (Decree No. 25.017 in force on 16.03.2023), is of concern and requires the joint work of public authorities and the community. in the fight against the spread of Aedes Aegypti.

“It’s very important that everyone realizes the importance of everyone’s attitude to not regularly leave any deposits with standing water at home or at work where mosquitoes breed,” he explains.

Actions that can be taken to prevent the rise of dengue outbreaks

Among the reasons that contribute to this outbreak of outbreaks and cases in the municipality, the Center for the Control of Zoonoses points to the location of the capital: Florianopolis is in a region with a very favorable climate for the spread of Aedes aegypti – Photo: Florianopolis City Hall/Disclosure

• Gutter care: It is very important for the population to pay close attention to drains, places where utility crews find many larvae. To avoid this spread, you can place screens, choose drains that open and close, or use chlorine stones. Many people usually add bleach, but Marinis explains that this is not an ideal alternative because the product needs to be added very often as it evaporates very quickly.
• Inspect underutilized toilets, flush toilets, clean toilets, and walls.
• Check any container left outdoors: forgotten children’s toys, plant pots, pots, buckets for plant rooting, etc. “We have already found the larvae in a candy wrapper that was blown into the backyard by the wind and hidden behind a plant. Also the bucket, if you leave it upside down, we already find the larvae in that gap around the bucket. Therefore, the recommendation is to check everything and leave absolutely nothing uncovered in a place where water can accumulate,” explains the technical person in charge of the CCZ Dengue program in the capital.
• Without a bromeliad home: Municipal crews have found larvae on these plants, so it is recommended to replace plants that accumulate water with plants that do not.
• Do not leave water tanks without a lid: those who cannot afford coverage can put in a screen, a blanket, a sheet, any material that leaves no room for mosquitoes to enter.
• Pool maintenance and chlorination: It is very important to keep pools clean. We found many abandoned cottages with swimming pools. This makes our work very difficult, because in addition to the fact that the pool is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, we have not yet been able to enter the house to conduct an inspection, as there is no person in charge to receive our commands. If people decide to travel, they must keep the pools closed. There are special screens for protecting pools.
• Refusal to visit: mobile teams every day receive a refusal from the tenants. Florianopolis City Hall requires agents to be accepted for screening and orientation.

Care must be maintained even at low temperatures

Despite the forecast of falling thermometers in the coming days, due to autumn, all work and preventive measures at home must be preserved, Marinitsa Teleginski warns.

A colder climate is not enough to stop the transmission of the disease, she said. “Given that we have mosquitoes in all regions of Florianopolis and that the eggs remain viable for over a year in the sediment, the scenario is favorable for this cycle to continue in the face of any increase in temperature during the day,” he elaborates.

The guideline is to always use repellant

Another common question from the population is how often to use repellents, especially now with the approach of winter.

“We strongly recommend the use of repellents as personal protection, especially those that are specific to Aedes aegypti and contain icaridin. The use must be constant as the mosquito adapts very quickly and acts opportunistically. We can no longer say that the time when the female bites is only in the early morning and late afternoon. It bites at any time and not only at the legs, arms, but at any unprotected place on the body. You have to protect yourself in every possible way,” says Marinis.

Areas with a high number of cases in Florianopolis

• Trinity (250)
• capivari (236)
• Canasvieiras (231)
• Coconut trees (189)
• Capoeira (169)
• English (167)
• Traditional Yurere (138)
• Ithacorubi (129)
• Center (117)
• Monte Cristo ( 110 )