Dengue outbreaks in Brazil and Latin America: the new and continuing challenges

OBJECTIVES: To compare the number of suspected cases, severe cases, and deaths of dengue in 2023 and 2024 in Brazil and Latin America; and to describe its epidemiological profile. DESIGN: Observational study. METHODS: The data regarding dengue was retrieved from the Brazilian Ministry of Health website. The Chi-square test was used to compare the proportion of dengue cases in 2023 and 2024 according to gender, race, and age range. The odds ratio and the 95% confidence intervals were used to describe the data. The Spearman correlation test was used to compare the number of suspected cases, severe cases, and deaths of dengue with the number of distributed vaccines against dengue. RESULTS: Dengue is one of the most common zoonoses in Latin America. In 2023, Brazil registered a total of 1,658,814 suspected cases of dengue with 1094 deaths. For 2024, a total of 1,978,372 suspected cases of dengue were reported only until the 11th epidemiological week, with 656 deaths. When comparing dengue cases reported in 2024 and 2023, there is an increase in suspected cases, with 20% more cases reported during the first 11 epidemiological weeks of 2024 than in the entire 52 epidemiological weeks of 2023. At the same time, in 2024, the Pan American Health Organization reported suspected cases in 20 Latin American countries, with 3073 cases of severe dengue and 1187 deaths. In Brazil, a different racial profile for dengue was described since Black people OR = 1.56 (95% CI = 1.54-1.57), Mixed individuals OR = 1.36 (95% CI = 1.35-1.37), and Indigenous peoples [OR = 1.77 (95% CI = 1.70-1.85) were more likely to be suspected cases of dengue in 2024 compared to 2023. Also, a positive correlation between the distributed vaccines with deaths due to dengue and the number of severe cases was described. CONCLUSION: Brazil was responsible for more than 50% of suspected cases and deaths from dengue compared to the other Latin American countries in 2024. Furthermore, there is a different racial profile for dengue in Brazil, as Black people, Mixed individuals, and Indigenous peoples were more likely to be suspected cases of dengue in 2024 compared to 2023.