Brazilian city declares emergency over outbreak of dengue

Brazil's southwestern city Campo Grande has declared a state of emergency due to an epidemic of dengue fever, it was reported Monday. The city, home to some 800,000 residents, has registered about 300 suspected cases of dengue fever per day since the start of 2013, with a total of 7,697 cases reported between Dec. 31, 2012 and Jan. 17, according to the mayor's office. "We are doing everything we can," mayor Alcides Bernal said in a statement issued Sunday. "We are going to declare an emergency situation that will guarantee greater agility in carrying out actions," he said. The state of emergency calls for hiring 160 additional healthcare workers and stepping up efforts to control the spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. Dengue fever is a mostly tropical viral infection, producing symptoms like high fever, headaches, vomiting and skin rashes, that can range from flu-like illness to potentially deadly forms. The disease is fairly common in Brazil, especially during the summer, when high temperatures and humidity make it easier for the dengue mosquitoes to breed. In 2010, over 100,000 cases were registered in several states of Brazil.