BackgroundThe first autochthonous Chikungunya virus transmission in Colombia was reported in September 2014. Three months later, every town in the Caribbean region was affected, including the bordering towns of Ovejas and Corozal, in the department of Sucre. The objective of the study was to analyze and compare the temporal dynamics of the outbreak of Chikungunya in two towns of the department of Sucre.MethodsHouseholds with suspicious cases with clinical symptomatology for Chikungunya were enrolled. In each house an epidemiological questionnaire was applied to collect economic and social information and methods for vector control.ResultsThe study analyzed data collected between 09/01/2014 and 01/31/2015; 458 families in Corozal and 516 families in Ovejas were identified with Chikungunya cases. Estimated attack rates were 10,621 cases and 1640 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, in Ovejas and Corozal, respectively. The 75-day survival curve was 27.2% lower (0.632, CI = 0.614–0.651) in Ovejas than in Corozal (0.904, CI = 0.891–0.917). After 120 days, both curves showed a stable horizontal slope, close to a survival probability of 0.54, indicating the end of the epidemic period. The log-rank test (X 2 = 94.6, 1fd, p-value = 0.000) showed the improved survival of Chikungunya in the town of Corozal. The relative risk between the two towns was 0.863 (CI = 0.809–0.921; p-value < 0.001).ConclusionsThe dynamics of the temporal distribution of CHIKV could be influenced by socioeconomic and preventable risk factors. Poor socioeconomic conditions such as the lack and poor efficiency of water supply and waste collection services could be determining factors in the proliferation of CHIKV. The survival analysis proved to be a suitable method for studying the presentation of CHIKV and can be applied to other prevalent vector-borne diseases such as the ZIKA and Dengue.

BackgroundThe Zika virus disease (ZVD) has had a huge impact on public health in Colombia for the numbers of people affected and the presentation of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly cases associated to ZVD.MethodsA retrospective descriptive study was carried out, we analyze the epidemiological situation of ZVD and its association with microcephaly and GBS during a 21-month period, from October 2015 to June 2017. The variables studied were: (i) ZVD cases, (ii) ZVD cases in pregnant women, (iii) laboratory-confirmed ZVD in pregnant women, (iv) ZVD cases associated with microcephaly, (v) laboratory-confirmed ZVD associated with microcephaly, and (vi) ZVD associated to GBS cases. Average number of cases, attack rates (AR) and proportions were also calculated. The studied variables were plotted by epidemiological weeks and months. The distribution of ZVD cases in Colombia was mapped across the time using Kernel density estimator and QGIS software; we adopted Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR) and the Gaussian Kernel to estimate the number of Guillain Barre cases given the number of ZVD cases.ResultsOne hundred eight thousand eighty-seven ZVD cases had been reported in Colombia, including 19,963 (18.5%) in pregnant women, 710 (0.66%) associated with microcephaly (AR, 4.87 cases per 10,000 live births) and 453 (0.42%) ZVD associated to GBS cases (AR, 41.9 GBS cases per 10,000 ZVD cases). It appears the cases of GBS increased in parallel with the cases of ZVD, cases of microcephaly appeared 5 months after recognition of the outbreak. The kernel density map shows that throughout the study period, the states most affected by the Zika outbreak in Colombia were mainly San Andrés and Providencia islands, Casanare, Norte de Santander, Arauca and Huila. The KRR shows that there is no proportional relationship between the number of GBS and ZVD cases. During the cross validation, the RMSE achieved for the second order polynomial kernel, the linear kernel, the sigmoid kernel, and the Gaussian kernel are 9.15, 9.2, 10.7, and 7.2 respectively.ConclusionsThis study updates the epidemiological analysis of the ZVD situation in Colombia describes the geographical distribution of ZVD and shows the functional relationship between ZVD cases and GBS.

O centro de triagem de animais silvestres em Belo Horizonte (CETAS-BH) é um dos órgãos responsáveis pelo recebimento de animais silvestres em Minas Gerais (MG). O conhecimento da fauna mantida ilegal é ferramenta importante para a conservação dos animais silvestres, pois permite o aprimoramento da educação ambiental e das ações fiscalizadoras. Objetivou-se diagnosticar as espécies da fauna silvestre apreendidas ou entregues voluntariamente no CETAS-BH e analisar espacialmente sua distribuição. As espécies foram identificadas e classificadas de acordo com a chave taxonômica e o risco de extinção. Na análise descritiva espacial, foram identificadas as coordenadas geográficas dos municípios dos animais para a construção dos mapas de distribuição e de densidade de Kernel. No ano de 2011, foram recebidos 7.426 animais vivos, dos quais 91,5% eram aves, 7% répteis e 1,5% mamíferos. Verificou-se ampla variedade de espécies (166), correspondendo às aves a maioria (79,5%). As espécies mais recebidas foram Sicalis flaveola e Saltator similis. Do total de espécies recebidas, 15% estavam ameaçadas de extinção. A principal procedência foi apreensão (82,7%) e, delas, 79% foram realizadas pela Polícia Militar do Meio Ambiente. Os animais eram de 94 municípios de MG. A análise espacial identificou a Região Metropolitana de BH como o local de maior concentração de ocorrências. A partir dos resultados obtidos, espera-se o aprimoramento e a intensificação das ações de educação ambiental e de fiscalização para essas áreas específicas

Rabies is a viral zoonosis affecting mammal species and causes large economic losses. Included among the neglected diseases, it is still insufficiently addressed by governments and the international community, despite formal surveillance and control programs. This study used a dataset of 10,112 rabies diagnoses in animals provided by the Brazilian passive surveillance system from 2001 to 2012. The positivity rate of the tested samples was 26.4%, and a reduction in the total samples sent during the last six years was observed. The kernel density map indicated case concentration in the south region and a decrease in density of rabies cases in the second period studied (2007 to 2012). The directional trend of positive rabies diagnoses remained in the south region, as shown by the standard deviational ellipse. The spatial scan statistic identified three large clusters of positive diagnoses, one in the first period (2001-2006) and two in the second period (2007-2012), indicating an expansion of risk areas. The decrease in rabies cases from 2006 to 2012 does not necessarily reflect lower viral circulation or improvement in actions by epidemiological surveillance; this decrease could indicate a deficiency in epidemiological surveillance during the observation period due to the increase in the silent areas. Surveillance should maintain an increasing or constant number of tests during the years in addition to a reduction in the number of outbreaks of rabies, which would indicate a lower positivity rate. The findings in this study indicate deterioration in the effectiveness of the passive surveillance for rabies. The number of rabies cases, total number of tests performed and positivity rate are good indicators for evaluating passive surveillance. This paper can function as a guide for the assessment and improvement of the actions in passive surveillance of rabies.

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Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal para determinar la prevalencia y factores epidemiológicos asociados con las enfermedades virales del Complejo Respiratorio Bovino (CRB) en razas criollas del Centro de Investigación Turipaná - AGROSAVIA (Colombia). Se evaluaron 403 bovinos de la raza Romosinuano y 445 Costeño con Cuernos (CCC). A través de la técnica de ELISA indirecta se determinó la presencia de anticuerpos para diarrea viral bovina (DVB), rinotraqueitis infecciosa bovina (IBR), parainfluenza-3 (PI3) y virus sincitial respiratorio bovino (BRSV). Se obtuvieron las prevalencias y se evaluó la asociación entre los agentes virales y entre estos con las variables sexo, edad, tipo de hato y raza; la prueba de Ji-cuadrada se aplicó con un nivel de significancia del 5% y el efecto de la asociación fue determinado por la razón de probabilidades (OR). se constituyó un modelo de regresión logística para explicar la enfermedad más prevalente. Las prevalencias medias en las dos razas fueron: DVB (33.02 %), BRSV (18.51 %), IBR (12.85 %) y PI3 (11.20 %); sin embargo, individualmente, la raza CCC presentó mayor prevalencia para todas las enfermedades. El modelo de regresión mostró una asociación entre DVB, IBR y PI3, las variables sexo, edad, hembras con más de 1 año de edad y la raza CCC. Para abordar las enfermedades del CRB, se recomiendan acciones con énfasis en el control y prevención de DVB y estudios más profundos para entender la dinámica y co-endemicidad de la DVB, IBR, BRSV y PI3 en las razas estudiadas.

BackgroundNotwithstanding the strong epidemiological impact of the Chikungunya in the Colombian Caribbean, in 2014, not the entire population were affected in the same way. This study describe the demographic, socio-economic, clinical and epidemiological aspects of the de Chikungunya in Ovejas and Corozal, two neighboring municipalities with high vulnerability in health in the Colombian Caribbean.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed in February 2015. A convenience sampling was carried out in 971 families affected with chikungunya. Also, a socio-demographics, clinical and epidemiological questionnaire was carried out for people who met the definition of suspected Chikungunya clinical case. For the statistical analysis, data and variables, frequencies, proportions and means were compared in the two municipalities studied. A logistic regression model was constructed to explain the effect of factors studied on the risk of family infection (RFI) or likelihood of contagion within each household. Was used the software EpiInfo 7.2.2.2 and a significance level with p-value < 0.05.ResultsIn Ovejas, 516 households were affected by Chikungunya, 48% (1269/2631) of their inhabitants became sick; in Corozal, 455 families were affected and 42% (839/1999) of their members became sick. The evolution of the epidemic curves of Chikungunya outbreak was different in the two studied areas, the disease was more aggressive in Ovejas. Ten variables were pre-selected by univariate analysis to explain the RFI by Chikungunya, and were integrated into a logistic regression model. The final model was constructed with the following variables: municipality, gender, occupation, family income, use of repellent and fumigation. The logistic model was assessed as appropriate; however, the biases in the selection of the surveyed dwellings and in the selection of symptomatic patients could influence the results.ConclusionsIt was demonstrated the epidemiological complexity of Chikungunya and the serious problem caused in populations with high vulnerability in health. The accurate association observed in the logistic regression model suggests the role of the factors studied as determinant in the rate of infection of the Chikungunya; coverage problems and surveillance in health care, demographic aspect, socio-economic problems and lack of preventive measures could explains the risk of family infection by Chikungunya in some areas tropics of Colombia.Trial registrationnumber approval 007–2016 ethics committee-IIBT.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has spread rapidly across cities in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte. The aim of this study was to investigate VL dynamics in a prospective cohort study of dogs in Juatuba, between 2010 and 2011, to confirm the incidence of Leishmania infantum, and to assess possible risk factors associated with infection. An observational and prospective closed cohort study was performed using serology testing in dogs, randomly selected from the whole municipality. All seronegative dogs, or dogs with inconclusive results were monitored using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) at 6-month intervals. The dog's owners completed a semi-structured questionnaire to assess possible causal factors of seroconversion, and the responses were assessed using logistic regression. The canine incidence coefficient was 206/1,000 dogs per year (CI: 178-238), and a cluster was identified in an area with a high concentration of seropositive dogs, but a low overall canine population. Large dogs were identified as a risk factor and the following variables were identified as protection factors: dogs aged over 4 years, daily peridomicile cleaning, and better socioeconomic conditions. VL is spreading over a large area in Juatuba in a short period of time. Key words: leishmaniasis, incidence, seroconversion, risk factors, cluster RESUMO A leishmaniose visceral (LV) expandiu-se de forma rápida e extensa pelos municípios da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. Objetivou-se estudar a dinâmica da LV em uma coorte prospectiva de cães em Juatuba, entre 2010 e 2011, para verificar a incidência e fatores de risco associados à infecção por Leishmania infantum. Foi feito um estudo observacional e prospectivo de coorte fechada por meio de análise sorológica em cães selecionados aleatoriamente em todo o município, com acompanhamento semestral dos resultados soronegativos e indeterminados na imunofluorescência indireta (IFI