BackgroundStarting in August 2015, there was an increase in the number of cases of neonatal microcephaly in Northeast Brazil. These findings were identified as being an epidemic of microcephaly related to Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. The present study aims to analyse the spatial distribution of microcephaly cases in Recife (2015–2016), which is in Northeast Brazil, and its association with the living conditions in this city.MethodsThis was an ecological study that used data from reported cases of microcephaly from the State Health Department of Pernambuco (August 2015 to July 2016). The basic spatial unit of analysis was the 94 districts of Recife. The case definition of microcephaly was: neonates with a head circumference of less than the cut-off point of −2 standard deviations below the mean value from the established Fenton growth curve. As an indicator of the living conditions of the 94 districts, the percentage of heads of households with an income of less than twice the minimum wage was calculated. The districts were classified into four homogeneous strata using the K-means clustering algorithm. We plotted the locations of each microcephaly case over a layer of living conditions.ResultsDuring the study period, 347 microcephaly cases were reported, of which 142 (40.9%) fulfilled the definition of a microcephaly case. Stratification of the 94 districts resulted in the identification of four strata. The highest stratum in relation to the living conditions presented the lowest prevalence rate of microcephaly, and the overall difference between this rate and the rates of the other strata was statistically significant. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test demonstrated that there was a strong association between a higher prevalence of microcephaly and poor living conditions. After the first 6 months of the study period, there were no microcephaly cases recorded within the population living in the richest socio-economic strata.ConclusionThis study showed that those residing in areas with precarious living conditions had a higher prevalence of microcephaly compared with populations with better living conditions.

BackgroundSeveral arboviruses, including dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, circulate in northeast Brazil. Diseases caused by these viruses are of great public health relevance, however, their epidemiological features in areas where the three viruses co-circulate are scarce. Here, we present analyses of molecular and serological diagnostics in a prospective study of acute febrile patients recruited from May 2015 to May 2016 in Recife, Brazil.MethodsTwo hundred sixty-three acute febrile patients with symptoms suggestive of an arboviral disease who attended an urgent heath care clinic in the Recife Metropolitan Region in northeast Brazil were enrolled. Acute and convalescent blood samples were collected and tested using molecular and serological assays for infection with DENV, ZIKV and CHIKV.ResultsQuantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reactions (qRTPCR) performed on acute phase sera detected no patients positive for DENV, but 26 (9.9%) positive for ZIKV and 132 (50.2%) positive for CHIKV. There were a few suspected and only one confirmed dengue case. Specific serological assays for ZIKV and CHIKV confirmed the qRTPCR data. Analyses of DENV IgM and IgG ELISAs in the context of qRTPCR results suggested high levels of cross reactive antibodies in ZIKV-positive samples. Results from neutralization assays highly corroborated those from qRTPCR and ZIKV ELISA, indicating very few positive DENV cases. ZIKV infections were temporally clustered in the first months of the study and started to decrease concomitantly with an increase in CHIKV infections in August 2015. The proportion of CHIKV infections increased significantly in September 2015 and remained high until the end of the study period, with an average of 84.7% of recruited patients being diagnosed from August 2015 to May 2016. ZIKV infections exhibited a female bias and the cases were spread over the study site, while CHIKV cases had a male bias and were spatially clustered in each month.ConclusionsIn 2015–2016 in the Recife Metropolitan Region, we detected the tail end of a Zika epidemic, which was displaced by a chikungunya epidemic. Few dengue cases were identified despite a high number of official dengue notifications in the area during this period. We show here important epidemiological features of these cases.

BACKGROUND Fluctuations in climate have been associated with variations in mosquito abundance. OBJECTIVES To analyse the influence of precipitation, temperature, solar radiation, wind speed and humidity on the oviposition dynamics of Aedes aegypti in three distinct environmental areas (Brasília Teimosa, Morro da Conceição/Alto José do Pinho and Dois Irmãos/Pintos) of the city of Recife and the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago northeastern Brazil. METHODS Time series study using a database of studies previously carried out in the areas. The eggs were collected using spatially distributed geo-referenced sentinel ovitraps (S-OVTs). Meteorological satellite data were obtained from the IRI climate data library. The association between meteorological variables and egg abundance was analysed using autoregressive models. FINDINGS Precipitation was positively associated with egg abundance in three of the four study areas with a lag of one month. Higher humidity (β = 45.7; 95% CI: 26.3-65.0) and lower wind speed (β = −125.2; 95% CI: −198.8-−51.6) were associated with the average number of eggs in the hill area. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The effect of climate variables on oviposition varied according to local environmental conditions. Precipitation was a main predictor of egg abundance in the study settings.

Application of different spatial analysis methods made it possible to locate areas that would not have been identified by epidemiological indicators alone.

Background Zika virus (ZIKV) has been isolated from many mosquito species in nature, but it is believed that the main vectors in urban environments are species of the genus Aedes . Here, we detected and isolated ZIKV in samples from Aedes aegypti , Aedes taeniorhynchus and Culex quinquefasciatus , collected during the Zika epidemic in Vitória, southeast Brazil. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, ZIKV detection was performed in mosquito samples collected from February to April 2016. Results Overall, six pools of mosquitoes were positive for ZIKV: four of Cx . quinquefasciatus , one of Ae. aegypti and one of Ae. taeniorhynchus . Their genomes were sequenced. Conclusions These results support and strengthen the hypothesis that other mosquito species can also be involved in ZIKV transmission.

Resumo O homicídio é a forma mais grave de violência com impacto negativo na população. Amplamente estudado no campo científico e divulgado por meios impressos e virtuais. O objetivo deste artigo é resgatar artigos de periódicos nacionais e internacionais, buscando a síntese do conhecimento e a incorporação da aplicabilidade de resultados de estudos significativos. Revisão integrativa a partir da plataforma SciELO, PubMed e LILACS dos artigos publicados entre 2006 e 2016. Utilizaram-se os descritores: Homicídio e Brasil. Selecionaram-se os artigos através da leitura do título, resumo e metodologia. Foram encontrados 427 artigos, dos quais 98 se referiam a estudos de homicídios e saúde no Brasil. Verificou-se publicações com destaque para o cenário nacional, seguido do estado de São Paulo e Pernambuco. O estudo quantitativo foi o mais utilizado, com a coleta através de dados secundários. Os artigos abordaram os homicídios na população em geral (48%), Feminicídio (14,3%) e Determinantes Sociais (7,1%). A produção científica brasileira em homicídios e saúde se encontra em fase de ascensão. É importante que os pesquisadores, analistas e editores voltem a atenção para o desenvolvimento de trabalhos no âmbito desse tema, objetivando aprimorar a qualidade dos artigos publicados.

Abstract:The environmental problems of fires change the dynamics of the planet modifying and destroying their cycles and ecosystems. The human being is responsible for almost all the fires, but he is also protagonist of prevention initiatives. Thus, it becomes necessary to plan actions to combat these environmental damages. Since the geographic location is a important attribute, this research aims to support prevention and control of fires generating and validating maps with prediction risk of fire models applied in João Pessoa city. The data were modeled, processed, handled and analyzed in ArcGIS software v10.0 and Matlab, as well as the generation and overlay of thematic maps using multicriteria analysis, weighting the variables and fuzzy logic. In the next step, it was made the data validation considering the real data and the results demonstrated that the templates generated with the aid of fuzzy logic showed the coefficient of determination above 85%. The rainfall variable was the factor that contributed significantly to the models having greater reliability. This variable was not used and not specifically recommended in other methods compared in this study. The factors that contributed to the high degree of vulnerability risk of fires: high slope, vegetation, areas of high concentration of people, subnormal agglomerations and regions within the influence of the road network and hydrography. Finally, this study aimed to contribute to the decision making of the environment, social security and defense managers quickly and accurately using a few variables and low cost.

Objective: to describe spatial patterns of intentional homicides in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, 2011-2016. Methods: this was an ecological study using census tracts as units of analysis; the study used data on intentional homicides of victims living in João Pessoa obtained by cross-checking Mortality Information System (SIM) information with Public Security information; mortality coefficients were calculated for the whole period and its triennia and were later smoothed using the local empirical Bayesian method; spatial autocorrelation techniques were applied to the smoothed coefficients which were using Moran's spatial statistics. Results: significant spatial autocorrelation was detected for the period as a whole (I=0.679, p=0.01), the 1st triennium (I=0.508, p=0.01), and the 2nd triennium (I=0.572, p=0.01); areas of greater risk were identified distributed among the western, northwestern, southeastern, and far south zones of the city, mainly in regions with low socioeconomic conditions; census tracts with low coefficients were located in areas of medium/high socioeconomic status. Conclusion: homicides in João Pessoa were high in poor districts and these are priority areas for intervention.