Dengue fever in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: a one health’s socioenvironmental perspective

Abstract

After the adoption of the One Health concept by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, public health campaigns must take into account the human-animal-environment interface when considering illnesses. Dengue fever is a neglected tropical disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Since 2021, an increase in the number of cases of dengue has been noted in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The objective of this research is to analyze epidemiological, social and environmental data about dengue fever and about the State of Rio Grande do Sul, aiming for a greater understanding of the One Health perspective on the topic. This is a theoretical research that brings together statistical data issued by official Brazilian government institutions and academic production in different areas of scientific research. Linking knowledge about dengue fever and Aedes aegypti from Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, History, Epidemiology and Biology, the interdisciplinary character that One Health attributes to illnesses is emphasized. Furthermore, it is noted the incipience of this method of analyzing public health issues and the lack of specialized bibliography that establishes direct dialogues between different areas of knowledge. Dengue fever, therefore, is used in this research as a medical-social-environmental event that serves as a model to analyze the human-animal-environment interface highlighted by the concept of One Health.