Dengue’s economic impact in Brazil | Science

In the first 23 weeks of 2024, Brazil surpassed 6 million cases of dengue (1), a viral disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (2). Dengue is a cyclical disease with seasonal variations, and outbreaks occur every year during the rainy periods (3, 4); however, the previous record infection rate was 1.7 million cases throughout all of 2015 (2). Despite ongoing mitigation efforts, Brazil faces challenges such as the resistance of the A. aegypti mosquito to insecticides (5), climate changes that favor the proliferation of the vector (3, 4), and a failure to eliminate breeding sites (6). Other countries in South America are facing similar infection rates and challenges (4, 7–9). This outbreak burdens Brazil’s public health system, and the resulting workplace absences have placed a substantial strain on the country’s industry and commerce (10, 11).