Brazil Health Alert

[trilingual]

For those planning a trip to Rio in the near future, take some good insect repellent and plan on using it two or three times a day (whenever you're going to be outdoors). You can buy insect repellents like "Off" in Rio, but they can be more expensive than in the U.S.

 

The reason: it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere, which means high mosquito season, and for the first time since the early '90s, Rio is having a serious epidemic of dengue fever. At least two people I know have caught it in the last couple of weeks. Trust Uncle Tri: you really would rather not catch this! Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by mosquito that causes very high fever and lots of joint pain. There can also be a rash. Because it's a viral disease, there really isn't much treatment for it except to rest and take Tylenol/Panadol to try to bring down the fever. (Aspirin or related NSAIDs like ibuprofen are not recommended, because of the risk of bringing on a hemorrage, which could be life-threatening.) If you catch it, it could take you a couple of weeks to get over it, between getting rid of the fever and then just getting your strength back. Dengue can be really serious if you ever catch it a second time, because the odds of it developing into the dangerous hemorragic form increase greatly.

 

Obviously, you don't want to ruin your vacation being sick with this, so be sensible: use insect repellent, and wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts, particularly early in the morning or at dusk, when mosquitoes become especially active. Follow this advice in other places, too. Rio seems to be the epicenter of the current epidemic because for byzantine political reasons the feuding city and state governments didn't begin spraying this year in time to prevent the proliferation of mosquitos this season. However, there have been outbreaks elsewhere in Brazil this year. Fortunately, this won't last all that long. Once summer and the rainy season are over, the risk will decrease and it'll all go away for another decade.

 

Remember, too, if you get sick with these symptoms after returning home, see your doctor right away and be sure to tell him where you've been and that there's a dengue epidemic going on in Brazil. You want to be sure you're diagnosed properly and get the appropriate medication and treatment. It's worth noting that the same mosquito that transmits dengue also can transmit malaria (not a very big risk, though, in Rio or the other big cities except in Amazonia) which can have similar symptoms, like a high fever. So be sure your doctor knows about the dengue epidemic to avoid being misled into thinking you might have malaria.

 

Don't let this scare you off a trip to Brazil, but as dengue isn't something we run into in non-tropical climes you need to know about this to avoid spoiling your vacation!

[HooBoy]

OUTSTANDING!!!!

 

This is the sort of information that makes this forum a valuable tool. I would never have thought of that.....

 

I am sooooooo pissed I couldn't make it for Carnival.. Maybe next year. :-)

 

Thank you for your input Tri!!

[Guest JH]

I don't know if they sell this in the US, but I used a repellent called "DEET" when I visited Thailand. There's two types; one that you spray on to your skin and a stronger version that you use to rinse your clothes in. Mosquitos usually love me, but I didn't get a single bite.

[trilingual]

That's interesting. Where did you buy it? Especially the clothes rinse version?

 

DEET is actually the active chemical ingredient in virtually all commonly sold insect repellents, like "Off" and "Cutter" in the U.S. Different products have varying quantities of DEET; the amount should be shown in the active ingredients list in the fine print on the bottle or can.

 

On this trip I used unscented Deep Woods Cutter, in a pump-spray bottle to avoid hassles with airline security which is now into banning spray cans. I'd spray it on myself a couple of times a day, and also on my pillow and bed clothes at night when I was staying with friends in Parati at their house without screens or mosquito nets. It worked pretty well; I'm a mosquito magnet and I managed to get away without too many bites. Fortunately, there hadn't been any reported dengue in Parati while I was there!

 

If you forget to buy repellent here, you can get it in Brazil, where it's sold in drugstores or places like Lojas Americanas, my favorite all-purpose boutique (it's like Woolworth's, for those who remember it before it's unfortunate demise). Ask for "repelente." "Off" is sold in Brazil; there was a nice lotion version that included aloe vera for that important moisturizing effect! ;-) I don't recall seeing it in Brazil, but in the U.S. it's possible to buy sun-block lotion that contains insect repellent, so you can take care of things in one application. And as I said before, don't freak over this, just be sensible. I understand they've started spraying in Rio (better late than never) and by April the mosquito breeding season should have eased up, so this is likely to be over by then.

[Guest JH]

I bought it from a British Airways Travel Clinic in the UK. The clothes-rinse version is especially effective.