The higher the number of sick animals, the higher the number of infected mosquitoes. As the habitat is destroyed, the insects have more contact with humans, which increases the number of cases.
"The environmental imbalance is even damaging to the marine ecosystem because the mud reaches the Paraopeba River basin, a tributary of the São Francisco River," explains Leila. "Climatic factors can accelerate epidemics even more, because the proliferation of insects is common in summer."
Leila calls for investments in structures that reduce the risk of ecological disasters:
"We need technologies to store residues before they contaminate groundwater."
