The main topic is the fight against dengue throughout Brazil Public hearing interactive which the Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (CCT) is promoting next Wednesday (6), starting at 11:00. The aim of the event is to find scientific and innovative strategies to effectively fight dengue.
The General Coordinator for Health Sciences at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), Thiago de Mello Moraes, has already confirmed his presence in the debate; researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) Luciano Andrade Moreira; and Natalia Verza Ferreira, CEO in Brazil of the British company Oxitec, specializing in biotechnology.
Margareth de Lara Capurro Guimarães, professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, USP, also confirmed her participation in the debate; professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) Álvaro Eduardo Eiras; and Director-President of the São Paulo National Foundation for the Support of Research (FAPESP), Carlos Américo Pacheco. The committee is still awaiting confirmation from representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Butantan Institute.
Astronaut Senator Marcos Pontes (PL-SP) requested a public hearing. The application was approved by the CCT two weeks ago due to the large increase in cases in the country in the first months of 2024, which prompted several states and municipalities to declare a state of emergency, including: showed AND Agency of the Senate.
— This is a problem that is already being solved more effectively in other countries and that we also need to solve here in Brazil, through science, said Pontes during the vote on the proposal in the CCT.
At the same meeting, committee chairman Senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG) stated that the fight against dengue requires a continuous education and awareness strategy, even in years when the number of dengue cases is decreasing.
Emerging technologies
The audience intends to discuss the use of new technologies and innovative scientific approaches in the fight against this disease, as well as the potential of vaccines and the development of more effective traps against the mosquitoes that transmit the dengue virus.
“The focus is on examining the readiness and effectiveness of scientific solutions to strategically combat the disease in the country, a problem that has been ongoing for decades and is currently characterized by an exponential increase in the number of cases in 2024. This scenario requires a coordinated response, based on scientific evidence, using different tools in productive discussion with different sectors of society, including academia, government and industry,” Pontes states in the explanatory note (REQ 1/2024 – CCT).
According to the Ministry of Health's arbovirus monitoring panel, there have been more than 1.2 million cases of dengue in the country this year, with 278 confirmed deaths and 744 under investigation.