Foz de Yguazú recorded a historic drop in dengue cases in 2025, with a reduction of over 90% compared to the previous year. Data from the Municipal Health Department show that the city closed the year with 1,031 confirmed cases, down from 14,683 in 2024. Suspected case reports fell from 28,850 to 10,548, and hospitalizations plummeted from 2,017 to 437 patients.
The contrast is even more striking when compared to 2023, when the city faced one of the worst epidemics in its history, with 26,000 infections and 22 deaths. In 2025, there were no deaths from the disease, and the trend remained stable in the first months of 2026, marking more than a year without dengue fatalities in the municipality.
Authorities attribute the result to sustained prevention efforts that combined awareness campaigns, ongoing operations to eliminate Aedes aegypti mosquito breeding sites, and the implementation of the Wolbachia method. The strategy, led by Fiocruz with support from Brazil's Ministry of Health, the Paraná State Health Department, and Itaipu Binacional, consists of releasing mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacteria, which reduces the insect's ability to transmit dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.
The releases began in August 2024, following the inauguration of a biofactory, and throughout 2025 the method reached 50% coverage of the urban area. The Health Surveillance Directorate noted that early detection also enabled faster responses to new outbreaks of the disease.
Despite the encouraging scenario, the Zoonosis Control Center warned that dengue maintains seasonal behavior, with the highest-risk months concentrated between March and May. For this reason, health teams continue conducting home visits and cleanup campaigns, urging the public to eliminate containers with standing water and to allow agents into their residences.