Brazil saw 746,000 cases of Dengue fever between Jan. 1 and April 18 this year, an increase of 234 percent from the same period last year, said the Brazilian Health Ministry on Monday.

However, compared to the same time span in 2013, when 1.4 million cases were reported, the figure is 48 percent lower.

In the first 15 weeks of 2015, 229 Dengue fever patients were confirmed dead. This is a 45 percent rise from the same period last year and a 39.6 percent drop from the same period in 2013.

The states which saw the biggest number of deaths were Sao Paulo, with 169 deaths, Goias, with 15 and Parana and Minas Gerais with eight deaths each.

Dengue fever, a viral infection found throughout 110 countries, is spread by mosquitos in tropical climate, causing flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever and joint pain.