BBC, 02/26/2013
Health authorities in Brazil say there has been a steep rise in the confirmed cases of dengue fever this year.
More than 200,000 people were infected in the first seven weeks of 2013 compared to 70,000 in the same period last year, official figures suggest.
The southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul has been hardest hit.
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Kenneth Rapoza – Forbes, 04/10/2012
30% or more body fat is considered obese. In Brazil, still less than 15% are in that category compared to nearly 30% in the U.S. But a new report by the Brazilian Health Ministry suggests Brazilians are now tipping the scales more than ever. (Credit source: Forbes)
Eating on the run and sugary drinks has nearly half the Brazilian population now classified as overweight or worse — obese. Investors, look for Brazilian health care and medical device names trading on the BM&F Bovespa, because fat is trending.
The thought of overweight Brazilians flies in the face of the stereotype that the country is teeming with tall, tan and trim bodies. But as Brazilians go from drinking milk from a plastic bag for breakfast with maybe a cookie, to maybe popping down a Red Bull instead, more and more Brazilians are eating like a middle class society: on the run, loaded with sugar, or just overdoing it at the buffet restaurants that dominate the São Paulo lunch hour scene.
According to the country’s Health Ministry, 43% of adults were overweight in 2006. The government considers people overweight if their fat content is more than 25% of their body weight. In 2011, the number rose to 48.5%. Those who have more than 30% body fat are considered obese, and their numbers have grown from just 11% in 2006 to 15.8% today.
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Marilia Brocchetto – CNN/WCVB, 02/16/2012
Revelers in Brazil’s most famous city will enjoy more than just sun, live music and dancing when Carnival festivities start this week. Rio de Janeiro state officials are also giving away 3 million free condoms.The new government initiative aims to stop the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases during the five-day event, the state health department said.This year’s campaign targets gay men between the ages of 19 and 24, Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said, according to state-run Agencia Brasil.
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Fabiola Ortiz – IPS News, 10/21/2011
Brazil is keen to take part in the international effort to expand access to medicines and to produce its own drugs, and will start by becoming the world supplier of medicines to treat Chagas disease.
The announcement was made by Health Minister Alexandre Padilha at the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, which opened Tuesday Oct. 19 in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil plans to double its production of medicines to treat Chagas disease, in response to requests from multilateral aid organisations.
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