In the face of surging dengue cases, 21 cities in the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil have declared a state of emergency, the state health authorities said on Friday.
As of Friday, Sao Paulo had registered 4,340 confirmed dengue cases and 30 related deaths in the current round of dengue fever outbreak.
Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. About half of the world's population is now at risk of dengue with an estimated 100 to 400 million infections occurring each year. Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.
The Brazilian Ministry of Health announced on Thursday to establish an emergency operations center to address dengue and other arboviruses in Sao Paulo to expand monitoring on arboviruses and strengthen epidemiological, and nursing surveillance, as well as vector control.
Arboviruses are disease-causing viruses transmitted through the bite of hematophagous arthropods, such as mosquitoes and ticks.
Sao Paolo has initiated a national emergency response to curb the spread of dengue, chikungunya and zika.
Dozens of Brazilian cities in health emergency due to surge in dengue cases
Twenty-nine rivers across China still have water levels above the warning line as of Sunday morning due to excessive rainfall in the current rainy season, with the Ministry of Water Resources maintaining a yellow flood alert and urging the public to take precautions.
According to the ministry's consultation on Sunday, as of 09:00, water levels on 29 rivers in Heilongjiang Province in the northeast, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces in the east, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the south, and Yunnan Province in the southwest remained above the warning mark, with the highest excess reaching 6.07 meters.
From Sunday to Tuesday, rainfall may cause floods above the warning level in the main stream of the Yujiang River in Guangxi. Some small and medium-sized rivers in the rainstorm area may experience floods above the warning level.
Influenced by upstream outflow, the main stream of the middle reaches of the Heilongjiang River in the Tongjiang section will exceed the warning level.
The main stream of the upper reaches of the Heilongjiang River in the section from Huma to Sandaoka, the main stream of the middle reaches of the Heilongjiang River in the Dongji section, the lower reaches of the Wusuli River in the Haiqing section, and Taihu Lake will remain above the warning level.
29 rivers still above warning level across China
