Epidemiologists explain how Carnival days may have spread diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti | National newspaper

The movement of tourists during the carnival had side effects on public health.

When many people gather to celebrate, we don't always remember the risk of contracting a disease like Covid, and we don't even remember the risk of contracting the disease from mosquitoes. Aedes aegypti. Is that During Carnival, many Brazilians travel without knowing they are infected with one of four mosquito-borne viruses: dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever.

Regarding chikungunya, in 2024, Minas Gerais will account for 72% of confirmed and suspected cases – there are already 22,000. Administrative assistant Maria Eduarda Ferreira, who lives in the Belo Horizonte metropolitan area, received the diagnosis in January.

“I feel numbness and pain in my joints when I stay in one position for a long time, and I also have abdominal pain,” she says. “I will be monitored by a neurologist and a rheumatologist for two years.”

Rafaela Iocchino, a researcher at the Butantan Institute, says that due to the intense movement of people, states that do not have many cases could see an increase.

“The disease spreads. The mosquito then bites and later feeds on the blood of other healthy people, who don’t have any virus, and those other people can become infected.”

The solution to this problem is to reduce the number of mosquitoes. Who studies behavior Aedes aegypti He explains that this is one of the main ways to reduce the number of Brazilians infected. This will lead to greater control over the circulation of the virus that causes dengue fever as well as other viruses transmitted by the same mosquitoes, preventing its spread to areas where infection rates are not high.

Residents and public authorities must take care of garbage and stagnant water to eliminate mosquito breeding sites. But not only that. Infectious disease specialist Rosanna Richtman reminds us of the need for individual protection, such as avoiding dark clothing that ultimately leads to increased sweating, which attracts mosquitoes.

This means that light, long-sleeved clothes, long pants, long skirts, and light fabrics are preferred. “But it is important that it is such that it does not attract mosquitoes,” explains infectious disease specialist at the Emilio Ribas Institute.

And use a repellent for the materials referred to in it Anfisa. The recommendation to use the product also applies to people who are already sick.

“Once repellents are used, they scare away mosquitoes, and therefore, mosquitoes will not bite, acquire, or feed on blood containing viral particles,” says biologist Raffaella Iocchino.