Neglected tropical diseases in Brazilian children and adolescents: data analysis from 2009 to 2013

Abstract

BackgroundNeglected tropical diseases (NTDs) prevail in conditions of poverty and contribute to the maintenance of social inequality. Out of the NTDs prioritized by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, four parasitic infections require mandatory notification: acute Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, malaria, and schistosomiasis. Data on the behaviour of these NTDs in the young population are currently limited. This study seeks to analyse the epidemiological aspects of these parasitic infections in children and adolescents in Brazil.MethodsA retrospective exploratory ecological study was conducted. A spatial analysis of the cases reported between 2009 and 2013 in individuals aged between 0 and 19 years that were notified through the Health Notification Aggravation Information System (SINAN) was performed.ResultsIn total, 64,567 cases of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, malaria, schistosomiasis, and acute Chagas disease were recorded in the SINAN database, representing a rate of 20.15 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The average age of the cases was 12.2 years and 62.32% were male. Four hundred and three deaths related to these obligatorily reported parasites were recorded, indicating a case fatality rate of 0.62%. Visceral leishmaniasis and acute Chagas disease had the highest rates of lethality. A heterogeneous spatial distribution of the studied parasites was observed.ConclusionsThe number of cases and the lethality rate described in this study show that these diseases still represent a serious problem for public health in Brazil. This points to the need to encourage new research and the reformulation of social, economic, and public health policies aimed at ensuring better health and living conditions for all individuals, especially those among the populations considered vulnerable, as is the case of the young.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40249-017-0369-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Epidemiological study on dengue in southern Brazil under the perspective of climate and poverty

“…Clinical and epidemiological data, including patient's address, ethnicity, gender, age, pressure, and symptoms, were retrieved from the www.nature.com/scientificreports www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Information System for Notifiable Diseases forms (Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação, SINAN). This form is used to compulsorily notify at least seven neglected tropical diseases: dengue, acute Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, malaria, schistosomiasis, leprosy, and tuberculosis 81 . Blood samples were obtained by venipuncture after written consent of the patient.…”

Epidemiology of human visceral leishmaniasis in the urban centers of the lower-middle São Francisco Valley, Brazilian semiarid region

“…The stationary behavior of the VL incidence in both studied municipalities, as indicated by the segmented regression model, indicates that the VL situation did not change during the analyzed period. Likewise, a recent study of secondary data from all Brazilian states observed a near-constant number of new cases between 2009 and 2013 14 . The lack of public policies targeting VL, a lack of commitment from public authorities, persistence of the transmission chain, lack of transversal policies affecting the determinants of illness (e.g., income, sanitation, housing, education) and even the migratory process may have contributed to the stable number of cases throughout the studied period.…”

“…This rate is similar to that reported by Araujo et al in the same region; specifically, an incidence of 14.5% was reported in Petrolina during the period between 2007 and 2013. A recent report stated that the national prevalence of VL-HIV coinfection in Brazil was approximately 7% 14 . We emphasize, however, that the underreporting of cases leads to an underestimation of coinfection, as indicated by the finding that the field referring to HIV infection was left blank in many of the analyzed reports.…”

Preparedness for Chagas disease spreading worldwide

“…This also requires high level governmental commitment along with strong partnerships among major stakeholders [11][12][13]. In wider context, the equitable system on social determinants of health and public health policies shall be built to ensure better health and living conditions for all individuals [6]. Community-based vector surveillance system is also workable within the health systems.…”

“…All results from those publications showed that transmission of Chagas disease can be effectively interrupted by controlling the main vectors and other initiatives, which have been implemented with some success. But it is still a serious problem for public health due to the threat of high disease burden in endemic regions [6], spreading to non-endemic areas [7,8], and lack of more appropriate strategy and innovative research in resources limited settings [9]. This Editorial is to raise awareness and propose global preparedness for the world-wide spreading of Chagas disease.…”