RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This may seem like a bit of meaningless news, but it is not. Some condos in Rio de Janeiro forbid the use of mosquito netting on windows and balconies of condominiums. However, municipal Law 6.584/2019 changes this by permitting the use of screens as long as the standards established by the condominium are respected.
City councilmember Cesar Maia, who proposed the change, argues that the bill guarantees residents the right to use and enjoy all areas of their properties, provided that most condominium members’ wishes are preserved, pointing out that this measure was crucial to help some countries overcome diseases such as malaria.
“Currently, some administrators prevent condominium owners from installing netting on their windows and balconies. However, this measure is misguided, since it increases the potential for residents to become affected by diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, such as dengue, zika, and chikungunya,” explains the author.
There were 366 dengue-related deaths throughout the country by June 8th, 2019. This figure is 2.6 times higher than in the same period in 2018, which registered 139 deaths. According to information from the Ministry of Health, 596,381 cases of the disease have been confirmed, an increase of 700 percent over the same period last year. The number of probable cases (which have not yet been confirmed or discarded) is even more severe: 1,127,244 against 170,628 in 2018.