Dengue in Rio - Where the Blame Lies

The following quote from this article about the dengue epidemic in Rio de Janeiro seems to put the blame squarely on the city government:

But Sergio Cortes, Rio's State Secretary for Health, says not enough work was done to prevent this epidemic, and the experience of cities nearby only serves to prove that.

"The city of Niteroi is less than 1km from the city of Rio de Janeiro - we have the same climate, same land, same mountains and same problems with shanty towns and we have a lot fewer cases and no death," he said.

"Why? Because there we have a basic system of health which is very advanced."

There's also this:

Doctors' representatives say this is a crisis which could have been avoided had the authorities done more to prevent an upsurge in dengue that had been predicted.

Dr Jorge Sale Darze is president of the doctors' union in Rio. 

"The authorities have direct responsibility for what is happening in the dengue epidemic in Rio de Janeiro," he said.

"They should have taken measures to prevent this, and they didn't do this. The epidemic came, and thousands of people got sick, some have died."

On the streets of Rio de Janeiro, the work of combating dengue continues on a daily basis. This includes inspecting drains, treating water and passing information to the public.

The local authorities are in ass-covering mode now and it's very disappointing. To wit:

But city and state officials are divided over why Rio has been so badly affected, and who is to blame. Dr Mauro Blanco is city health co-ordinator responsible for the unit tackling dengue in Rio city.

"What is happening is that it is very difficult to mobilise the population in the period when there is no sickness. It's a lot easier to do it now," he said.

"In times of crisis things are very difficult but normally what we have seen from the official perspective is that people forget about dengue, forget about prevention when there is no sickness."

I can only speak for my wife's family, who range from well-to-do to poor and can tell you that they take every precaution possible during the summer to prevent mosquito bites: screens on the windows, proper handling of standing water, fans and repellent. The failure of the officials is very disturbing.