Dengue Fever in Brazil: Current Situation and Trends
Dengue fever continues to pose a significant public health challenge in Brazil. As of Tuesday, March 10, 2026, the Ministry of Health’s Arbovirus Monitoring Panel reported 28 deaths from dengue in Brazil this year, an increase from the 18 deaths reported in the previous update on February 27th.1
Regional Distribution of Cases and Deaths
The state of Pará currently leads in the number of deaths with 7, followed by Tocantins (5) and Minas Gerais (4).1 São Paulo and Goiás have each recorded 3 deaths, while Maranhão and Mato Grosso report 2 deaths each. Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Norte each have 1 death attributed to dengue.1
Decreasing Trend Compared to Previous Years
Despite the recent increase, the pace of deaths at the beginning of 2026 is slower than in the previous two years. The current average is 3 deaths per epidemiological week, significantly lower than the 35 weekly deaths recorded in 2025 and the 121 weekly deaths at the end of 2024.1
Factors Contributing to the Decline
Leonardo Bastos, coordinator of Infodengue at Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), attributes this decline to the high rates of infection in previous years. He explains that the circulation of dengue serotypes 1 and 2 over the last three years has led to increased population immunity.1
Favorable climate conditions are also playing a role. Current temperatures are closer to normal, and the absence of phenomena like El Niño, which contributed to higher rates in 2024, is contributing to stability.1
Ongoing Investigations and Positive Cases
The number of deaths is expected to increase in the next update as investigations into potentially dengue-related deaths continue. São Paulo leads these investigations with 51 cases, followed by Goiás (30) and Maranhão (9).1 To date, the country has confirmed 53,000 positive dengue cases.1
Historical Overview: 2024 and 2025
Brazil ended 2025 with 1,821 deaths from dengue fever, affecting over 1.4 million people.1 This represents a significant reduction from the epidemiological crisis of 2024, which was the worst year on record, with nearly 6 million infections and 6,300 deaths.1
Understanding Dengue Fever
Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and has four serotypes. Infection with one serotype provides immunity to that specific serotype, but individuals remain susceptible to the others.1
Symptoms of dengue include a high fever (38°C to 40°C) accompanied by at least two of the following: headache, prostration, muscle and/or joint pain, and pain behind the eyes.4 Most individuals recover after the critical phase, but severe forms of the disease can lead to death.4
Brazil’s Public Health System
Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) provides comprehensive, universal, and free healthcare access to the entire Brazilian population.3 It is one of the largest and most complex public health systems globally, encompassing the Ministry of Health, state, and municipal levels.3
1 Epidemiology of dengue in Brazil: recent trends and public health response
2 The greatest Dengue epidemic in Brazil: Surveillance, Prevention, and Control
3 The dengue epidemic in Brazil – World Health Organization
4 Reported cases of dengue in Brazil from 2015 to 2024