Local, multisectoral coordination Dengue in Rio
Categories: Action Line 1: Surveillance and monitoring, Integrated risks, monitoring, early warning, and GHG emissions tracking, Vector distribution and ecology
Country: Brazil
Organizations: The Rockefeller Foundation, Centro de Inteligencia Epidemiologic
The intervention
Brazil, a longstanding leader in dengue management, has seen rising cases exacerbated by climate variability and rapid urbanisation. In early 2024, Rio de Janeiro recorded over 10,000 dengue cases in a single month, prompting the Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS) and the Health Surveillance Superintendence (SVS) to establish the Dengue Emergency Operations Center (COE Dengue). This multidisciplinary platform brought together experts in entomology, meteorology, geography, and urban planning to coordinate surveillance and response. Integrating climate and health data through shared georeferenced tools, the system enabled citywide prediction of dengue risk up to four weeks in advance, improving planning and targeted intervention.
Success factors
The COE Dengue’s success stemmed from its integrated governance and real-time, data-driven coordination. Centralising diverse expertise under one operational hub improved information flow and accelerated decision-making. SVS’s predictive modeling allowed authorities to anticipate outbreaks two months earlier than traditional methods, mapping 90% of new cases within days. Between January and March 2024, this coordinated effort enabled inspection of 2.8 million properties and elimination of 447,000 mosquito breeding sites. The platform also fostered cross-sectoral learning - linking climate data with public health surveillance - to enhance Rio’s capacity for proactive and scalable dengue control.
Recommendations
A strong emphasis on the facilitation of cross-sectoral partnerships was essential to the establishment of the platform and the coordinated inter-agency response to the threat of dengue. Governments intending to replicate this intervention should ensure that governance structures facilitate inter-agency partnerships and ensure that the sources of data used in the platform are verified and accurate – the utility of the platform hinges upon its ability to synthesise and disseminate accurate information.
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