Epidemiological Profile of Leptospirosis Cases in Brazil From 2015 to 2019

Abstract

Leptospirosis, considered a public health problem, is an acute febrile infectious disease of compulsory notification with a lethality of up to 40% in the most severe forms, being caused by the bacterium of the genus Leptospira sp and transmitted by exposure to the urine of infected animals, such as the rats. Therefore, the objective of the study is to analyze the epidemiological profile of reported cases of leptospirosis in Brazil between 2015 and 2019. The research has a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive and retrospective nature with data collected in the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS), disregarding information that is not present in the established time frame. In the period from 2015 to 2019, 16,938 cases of leptospirosis were reported, with a highlight in 2015 (25.29%), in the South region (36.58%), in the urban area (75.80%), in males (81.53%), in the age of 20 to 39 years (38.3%), in whites (47.76%). In addition, the majority obtained the Cure (82.96%). In view of this, there is a need to create public measures of a resolute nature in the face of health shortages, especially in regions of low socioeconomic status, to combat the incidence of this disease.