Hospitals in Brazil have received many patients infected with dengue fever and other viruses National newspaper

Hospitals in Brazil also received many patients infected with other viruses.

You don't know what you have. Many patients in the primary care unit face this problem. They cannot recognize the symptoms. They don't know if they have dengue, Covid or influenza.

“I think it's Covid because I already had dengue,” says one patient.

“I had some symptoms. I thought it was dengue fever, I took tests, and the result was negative. Now I am waiting for a Covid test,” says another patient.

Francisca already knows what she's suffering from: dengue fever – for the second time.

“I felt severe body pain, headache, fever, and vomiting,” he says.

Doctor Pedro Augusto Silva Ruas faces this reality in the health unit: dengue, Covid, chikungunya, influenza – all spreading at the same time.

Preparation Ministry of Health They show that Covid cases have been trending upward in recent weeks. There are already more than 300,000 cases in 2024. There are already more than 1 million possible cases of dengue, and cases of influenza are also worrying the government.

“We have already treated two thousand people with dengue fever. Covid is also seeing a significant increase, as are influenza cases. And everything came much earlier, these diseases came before the expected peak. “It was surprising,” says Pedro Augusto Silva Ruas, a family and community physician. Combined and mixed, the three diseases at once.”

All together, and with the difficulty of identifying the specific symptoms of each disease, the recommendation is to always look for a medical center.

“We are facing a serious Brazilian public health crisis. We have already declared a public health emergency in several states due to dengue fever, and this has worsened with the spread of coronavirus and influenza. So it's a perfect storm for these diseases that cause overcrowding. However, overcrowding cannot be a reason for self-medication, because in some cases, this type of situation can lead to aggravation of symptoms, which will lead to further overcrowding in public and private care,” explains Alexandre Naime, scientific coordinator of the Brazilian Medical Association. . Infectious diseases.

Other precautions cannot be left aside, such as vaccinations, use of masks, isolation when any symptoms appear, and control of dengue outbreaks.

“Residents have to be careful with each other. It's not just your family, it's not just your house. It's one with the other,” says housewife Maria Serli.