Dengue fever hits Brazil

Brazil has a worsening problem with the potentially fatal disease, dengue fever.

In Rio de Janeiro alone the number of cases has more than doubled in a week.

Over 2,000 people are ill with dengue in the city, while in the state of Rio as a whole, there are nearly 7,000 cases.

Five people have died of the most serious form, haemorrhagic dengue.

In Sao Paulo, the largest city in South America, the health secretary says it is only a matter of days before the epidemic arrives.

The Rio Doctors' Association has announced plans to sue all the health authorities - city, state and federal - for neglecting the population's health.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service