Overview

Diseases transmitted by insect vectors, such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and leishmaniasis, affect millions of people and caused about 600.000 deaths around the world in 2012, especially in tropical regions(1). In Brazil, population is affected significantly by those diseases. In the summer of 2014/2015 there were 1.350.406 cases of dengue in Brazil, resulting in 614 deaths (57% higher than the same period in 2013/2014) (2). Brazilian health authorities affirmed that the dengue fever epidemic had a raise of 229% (3). In our city, Sao Carlos, the epidemic was so severe that the public health agency has not been able to account for the total number of cases (link vigilância epidemiológica). Unofficial reports count more than 20.000 victims and at least 5 dead people (4, 5).