A great deal of the suffering that dengue causes stems from a lack of understanding. In many dengue-endemic countries, the difficulties lie in spotting and preventing the disease. And that’s why projects such as the dengue exhibition at a Brazilian museum are so valuable in helping raise awareness.
The Museum of Life, in Rio de Janeiro, aims to bring Brazilians into contact with science and technology creatively. Linked to the not-for-profit Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), it aims to educate visitors on the ways in which science affects their daily lives.

For the dengue exhibition, the Museum of Life has had the support of pharmaceutical firm Sanofi and Fiocruz’s Dengue Network. The exhibition – which ran from January 2014 to September 2014 and was free to attend – has attracted thousands of visitors. It included giant mosquitoes, make-believe houses, videos, microscopes and interactive screens to help inform visitors of where dengue comes from, how it spreads, and how to prevent it.

Paulo Gadelha, the President of Fiocruz, was pleased with the exhibition. “Now that the disease is taking on new forms, it’s essential to raise public awareness and share information.”

Since closing at the Museum of Life at the end of September 2014, there are now plans to take the dengue exhibition to other cities in Brazil.