Dengue Fever, Poverty, and Tropical Disease in India and Brazil
This paper examines the relationship between economic conditions and the prevalence of dengue fever in India and Brazil. Drawing on GDP and GNI per capita data from 2008 to 2018, the paper traces how poverty-related factors — including inadequate sanitation, poor waste management, limited healthcare access, and substandard housing — contribute to dengue transmission in both countries. The paper compares national trends in dengue incidence, discusses the role of tropical climate as an environmental amplifier, and evaluates interventions aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 1 (poverty reduction) and SDG 3.3 (combating infectious diseases). Policy recommendations include vector control programs, public awareness campaigns, infrastructure investment, and targeted poverty alleviation strategies.
- Introduction: Dengue burden and poverty context in both countries
- Level of Poverty: GDP and GNI per capita data 2008–2018
- Prevalence and Trend of Dengue: National dengue case trends and WHO estimates
- Poverty and Disease Link: How poverty shapes dengue transmission risk
- Incidence and Poverty: Socioeconomic factors driving dengue incidence
- Interventions and Sustainability: SDG-aligned strategies for governments and NGOs
- Summary: Integrated poverty reduction and public health conclusions
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- Uses concrete GDP and GNI per capita figures to ground the poverty–disease relationship in measurable economic data, lending empirical credibility to its claims.
- Maintains a consistent comparative framework throughout, analyzing India and Brazil side by side across economic status, disease burden, and policy response.
- Connects local public health challenges to global policy goals (SDG 1 and SDG 3.3), demonstrating awareness of the international development context.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper applies a social determinants of health framework to explain disease prevalence, showing how structural factors such as poverty, housing quality, and sanitation infrastructure shape exposure to infectious disease. This technique moves analysis beyond biomedical causes to include socioeconomic root causes, a hallmark of public health scholarship.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction establishing the dengue–poverty correlation in both countries, followed by an economic data section presenting GDP/GNI figures for 2008 and 2018. A disease trend section compares national incidence rates. Two analytical sections then develop the causal link between poverty and dengue. An interventions section proposes government and NGO strategies tied to SDG targets, and a summary consolidates the argument and calls for integrated poverty reduction and vector control efforts.
Introduction
Dengue is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause severe illness and death. In India and Brazil there is a noted correlation between economic level and the prevalence of dengue. In India, studies have shown that areas with lower economic resources and poorer living conditions had higher rates of dengue infection than areas with higher socioeconomic status. Additionally, there are indications that factors such as inadequate waste management infrastructure, improper water storage practices, and lack of access to healthcare resources contribute to the spread of dengue in India.
In Brazil, research has also demonstrated that poverty levels are associated with greater prevalence of dengue (Bavia et al., 2020). In addition to low incomes, other factors associated with the spread of dengue in Brazil include lack of access to care, substandard housing, and inadequate sanitation, all of which play a major role in the spread of the disease (Bavia et al., 2020). Moreover, Brazil's tropical climate provides an ideal environment for the mosquitoes that carry the virus to thrive, thus increasing the risk of dengue transmission in the country.
Overall, the economic level of a country is directly linked to the prevalence of dengue infection, with countries of lower economic resources being particularly vulnerable to the virus. Both India and Brazil have taken measures to reduce the incidence of dengue, but more needs to be done to improve access to healthcare resources, strengthen infrastructure, and ensure adequate sanitation to protect people from this deadly virus. This paper discusses the trend of the disease in each of these countries in relation to the observed economic level.
Level of Poverty
In 2008, India had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of $1,086 and a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of $1,110. By 2018, India's GDP per capita had risen to $2,014 and its GNI per capita to $2,065. In 2008, Brazil had a GDP per capita of $5,620 and a GNI per capita of $5,680. By 2018, Brazil's GDP per capita had grown to $10,146 and its GNI per capita to $10,153.
The data suggests that between 2008 and 2018, both India and Brazil saw significant improvements in their economic status, with both countries registering increases in GDP and GNI per capita. These improvements suggest that conditions may be improving in terms of access to healthcare resources, strengthened infrastructure, and improved sanitation — all of which may help to reduce the prevalence of dengue in both countries.
Prevalence and Trend of Dengue
India and Brazil both suffer from dengue, though there are differences in prevalence and trend. In India, the latest figures show a decrease in cases of approximately 4% between 2019 and 2020, whereas in Brazil there was an increase of 9% during the same period. Research suggests that the burden of dengue is heavier in India, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that around 200 million people are infected with dengue globally, of which almost 40–50 million cases occur in India. In general, dengue is more prevalent in tropical climates, and both India and Brazil are affected by hot and humid weather that favors mosquito activity.
Poverty and Disease Link
In India and Brazil, poverty levels are indirectly linked to dengue prevalence. According to data from the World Bank, in 2018 India had a GDP per capita of $2,014 and a GNI per capita of $2,065, while Brazil had a GDP per capita of $10,146 and a GNI per capita of $10,153. This data suggests that while Brazil has higher overall wealth than India, poverty levels in both countries have a direct influence on dengue rates.
Studies have shown that access to healthcare resources, sanitation, and education all play a role in reducing the spread of dengue. These factors are generally more difficult to access for those living in poverty, posing a greater risk of dengue transmission to this population. Furthermore, areas with lower economic resources tend to lack the infrastructure necessary for adequate waste management and water storage — both essential for preventing dengue outbreaks. This highlights the need for poverty alleviation strategies to reduce the occurrence of dengue in India and Brazil.
References
Bavia, L., Melanda, F. N., de Arruda, T. B., Mosimann, A. L. P., Silveira, G. F., Aoki, M. N., ... & Bordignon, J. (2020). Epidemiological study on dengue in southern Brazil under the perspective of climate and poverty. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1–16.
Mangam, K., Fiekowsky, E., Bagayoko, M., Norris, L., Belemvire, A., Longhany, R., ... & George, K. (2016). Feasibility and effectiveness of mHealth for mobilizing households for indoor residual spraying to prevent malaria: a case study in Mali. Global Health: Science and Practice, 4(2), 222–237.
Srinivasan, R., Ahmad, T., Raghavan, V., Kaushik, M., & Pathak, R. (2018). Positive influence of behavior change communication on knowledge, attitudes, and practices for visceral leishmaniasis/kala-azar in India. Global Health: Science and Practice, 6(1), 192–209.
World Bank. (2019, July 24). Poverty & equity. Retrieved November 3, 2020, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/POVHP1
World Health Organization. (2020, September 15). Dengue and severe dengue. Retrieved November 3, 2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.