Dengue and Its Secondary Hemorrhagic Fever among Children: A Life-Threatening Health Problem in Brazil

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dengue is a viral febrile infectious disease characterized by mild symptoms that can progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Due to socioeconomic and environmental reasons, it is a significant public health problem in Brazil with high morbidity rates among children. The objective is to analyze the epidemiological behavior of dengue and DHF hospitalizations in Brazil and point out the importance of health surveillance. METHOD(S) Data were collected from the Sistema de Informacoes Hospitalares of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The study population was children from zero to 14 years old diagnosed with classic dengue and/or DHF from January 2008 to November 2021 in Brazil. The variables analyzed were hospitalizations and deaths over the years, hospitalization time and expenses. RESULT(S) A total of 192,424 hospitalizations for dengue and DHF were reported, of which 95.3% were considered medical emergencies. Its epidemiological behavior has fluctuated over the years, with an increase of 162.0% between 2017 and 2019, followed by a decreasing trend starting in 2020. Despite the low mortality rate (0.24%), this scenario was responsible for $12,347,942.38 in expenses and a total of 652,552 hospitalization days. CONCLUSION(S) Dengue is responsible for a major socioeconomic impact on Brazilian's public health system since its severe cases require intensive care to avoid shock, organ failure and death. Due to COVID-19 pandemic and population's fear of contamination in medical facilities, underreporting of arboviruses cases was observed. Since early diagnosis and monitoring are predictors of good prognosis, it is crucial to encourage notification, epidemiological surveillance and sanitary hygiene measures.