Spatial pattern, water use and risk levels associated with the transmission of schistosomiasis on the north coast of Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to describe epidemiological aspects of schistosomiasis in Carne de IntroductionAlthough schistosomiasis is already well known as an endemic disease, new cases of acute schistosomiasis infection have been discovered on the Pernambuco coast, Brazil. There, individuals carrying the disease have migrated to coastal areas in search of better living conditions but have most commonly ended up living in places with poor health conditions. These individuals have thereby contributed to the spread of the Schistosoma mansoni in snails' breeding sites on the coast. This phenomenon can be seen through new foci of the disease vectors found in coastal and tourist areas in Pernambuco, where peridomestic foci are commonly found, and even domestically in the houses of low income families. Active transmission sites have also been detected in summer homes frequented by individuals from the middle and upper social classes 1,2,3,4,5 .Factors such as exposure time, and intensity of human contact with water contaminated by human feces, are directly related to the incidence of schistosomiasis. The pattern of human contact with water is complex and highly variable, but it serves to provide an important explanation for the epidemiological differences between infected population groups. Nevertheless, factors such as socio-economic circumstances, water supply and the provision of sewerage services also have a strong influence on the occurrence of the disease 6,7 .ARTIGO ARTICLE

Ecological Aspects of Biomphalaria in Endemic Areas for Schistosomiasis in Brazil

“…The presence of schistosomiasis was later reported in Northern Brazil and in other states in Southern and Southeastern Brazil. Until today, schistosomiasis is increasingly spreading to new regions of the country (Araújo et al, 2007;Barbosa et al, 1996Barbosa et al, , 2010Graeff-Teixeira et al, 1999, Paredes et al, 2010. The disease is a major public health problem in Brazil, and it is estimated that schistosomiasis affects 4.6% of the population, approximately 8,000,000 individuals, and in the states of Minas Gerais, Pernambuco and Espírito Santo, approximately 2.9 million people are infected (Katz & Peixoto, 2000;Paraense et al, 1983).…”

Geografia e saúde coletiva no Brasil

“…Among the studies that involve questions related to associations between different geographical variables and spatial structure (33.3%), those which stand out are the methodological procedures with the LISA function, or local autocorrelation function (Galli;Neto, 2008;Paredes et al, 2010;Ferreira et al, 2012). Not many studies that involve more complex spatial questions about interaction and change were found; in these cases, the spatial prediction techniques stand out, such as Kriging (Camargo et al, 2008;Cruz, 2011).…”

Untitled

“…Em Pernambuco a esquistossomose é endêmica na zona rural e inúmeros focos estão sendo detectados em localidades urbanas e litorâneas deste Estado mostrando a expansão desta endemia com índices preocupantes de casos agudos da doença em indivíduos que nunca tiveram exposição ao parasita S. mansoni (Souza et al, 2008;Paredes et al, 2010;Gomes et al, 2012).…”