ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Brazil–Cuba Cooperation in Dengue Control: A Historical Perspective on the 1981 and 1986 Epidemics

• In Event: (Re)thinking Histories of Disease in the “Tropics” (III)

English Abstract

This presentation examines the formation of scientific and health relations between Brazil and Cuba in response to the dengue epidemics of the 1980s, a period defined by the (re)emergence of Aedes aegypti and urban arboviruses in the Americas. The investigation, based on archival material from the Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, newspapers, and research reports, demonstrates how health crises acted as catalysts for this cooperation. The study establishes key milestones: the 1981 Cuban dengue hemorrhagic fever epidemic, shrouded in biological warfare controversies, and the 1986 Brazilian epidemic, which generated political-federal tensions. Cuba's successful experience in controlling the outbreak became an urgent reference for Brazilian public health experts and virologists, facilitating direct dialogue. This materialized through missions of Cuban specialists to Brazil, joint publications, and participation in key events such as the International Symposium on Yellow Fever and Dengue (Rio de Janeiro, 1988). It is argued that the collaboration, initially focused on the urgent fight against dengue, quickly expanded to other scientific spheres. The interaction enabled the exchange of knowledge in virology, entomology, and the organization of surveillance systems, solidifying a strategic partnership that transcended the initial emergency. The article concludes that this rapprochement, forged in the dengue crisis, not only reconfigured political-health boundaries in the context of post-redemocratization Brazil but also established a lasting foundation for global health cooperation between the two countries, with ramifications that would extend to other areas of biomedical research and public health in the following decades.

Author

• Alfredo Ricardo Silva Lopes, Federal University of Santa Catarina State(Brazil)