Dengue Fever Sweeps Rio

Almost half a million people in Rio de Janeiro have been struck down by dengue fever, according to experts, as the potentially fatal disease ravages the Americas with a new vigour.

Brazil has been hit by an epidemic of the mosquito-transmitted viral infection on a scale not seen in more than a decade.

Dengue causes high temperatures, severe pain, headaches and rashes and, in its most severe form (dengue haemorrhagic fever) internal bleeding, vomiting and death.

By yesterday Rio state had registered 43,000 cases this year, almost half of which were in Rio city, which has a population of 6m. Scientists put the probable number of total victims at about 430,000. Fourteen people are known to have died of dengue haemorrhagic fever.

Rogerio Valls de Souza of the Oswaldo Cruz foundation research centre, said that if the epidemic follows previous patterns it will reach its peak in about a month's time and will infect about 1m people in the city of Rio alone.

Already the city is noticeably suffering from the disease, which can leave the afflicted bedridden for a fortnight. About 10% of industrial workers are off sick, as are 30% of shopping centre staff, according to trade associations. Huge queues form daily at hospitals and medical centres with people wanting blood tests to make sure they do not have the haemorrhagic type.

A local newspaper features daily columns naming celebrities who have been struck down with dengue, including the footballer Zico, as well as actors and politicians.

Mr Valls said the epidemic was different from previous outbreaks because it seemed to be striking middle and upper class areas as well as poor neighbourhoods.

Reduction in dengue fever is mostly a question of domestic sanitation. Residents keen to make sure there is no stagnant water in which Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can breed are filling ponds with sand and emptying swimming pools, and have started a campaign against the bromelia, a tropical plant that gathers water in its stem.

The Brazilian Bromelia society accused the authorities of a witchhunt after a town near Rio ordered the removal of 10,000 bromelias.

It is not known why Rio is at the centre of the epidemic, although it has been traced back to the emergence of a new strain - dengue-3 - identified by the Oswaldo Cruz foundation a year ago.

Dr Jorge Arias of the Pan American health organisation said it was likely that in coming years the region would experience the highest ever levels of the disease. Cuba and Venezuela are also battling this year against dengue outbreaks.

"The return of dengue to the Americas is due to many reasons, including reinfestation of Aedes aegypti, lack of good, inexpensive insecticides, lack of financial resources, deterioration in prevention and control programmes, disorganised growth of large cities and lack of health education," he said.

The new dengue outbreak could have political consequences in Brazil. The government's candidate in October's presidential election, Jose Serra, is the former health secretary and has been blamed by the public after cutting anti-dengue funds.