Occurrence of Tungiasis in Ceará State, Northeast Brazil: Results of a Rapid Assessment Method

ABSTRACT Background: Systematic data on the occurrence of tungiasis are scarce. Methods: We analyzed data on tungiasis in humans and animals from all municipalities of Ceará State, Northeast Brazil, using a rapid assessment questionnaire. Results: Among the 184 municipalities, 181 (98.3%) reported tungiasis in the past (before 2021) or currently, 120 (65.2%) reported current occurrence, 155 (84.2%) reported severe cases in the past or currently, 47 (25.5 %) reported severe cases currently, and 132 (71.7%) reported tungiasis in animals. Conclusions: Tungiasis is a significant public health concern in Ceará. A One Health approach is required to reduce the disease burden in humans and animals.

Dengue 4 in Ceará, Brazil: characterisation of epidemiological and laboratorial aspects and causes of death during the first epidemic in the state

BACKGROUND The first dengue cases in Brazil with laboratory confirmation occurred in the northern region of the country, with the isolation of two serotypes, dengue virus 1 (DENV-1) and DENV-4. In Ceará, the introduction of DENV-4 was reported during a DENV-1 epidemic in 2011, with only two isolations. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to characterise the first DENV-4 epidemic in the state of Ceará, Brazil. METHODS The study population was composed of patients with suspected dengue that were reported to health care units from January to December 2012. The laboratory confirmation of infection was made by viral isolation, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), AgNS1, immunohistochemistry and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). MAIN CONCLUSIONS In the study year, 72,211 suspected dengue cases were reported and 51,865 of these cases (71.8%) were confirmed to be positive. Co-circulation of three serotypes, DENV-1, DENV-3 and DENV-4, was detected with a predominance of DENV-4 (95.3%). Most cases were not severe, but there were 44 fatal outcomes. DENV-4 Genotype II was identified for the first time in Ceará.

Psychiatric hospitalizations due to alcohol and drug consumption among young people in Ceará, Brazil

Introduction: This study aimed to analyze the evolution of psychiatric hospitalizations among children and adolescents due to psychoactive substance use in the public health system in the state of Ceará, Brazil. Hospitalizations between 2000 and 2015 were used as indicators. Methods: Ecological study using secondary data. Data analysis was performed with the software Stata 11.1® from StataCorp LLC (Texas/USA) using Poisson regression with robust variance and Spearman correlation. A 95% confidence interval was adopted and significance level was set at 5%. Results: The variables hospitalization rates and mean length of hospital stay did not vary significantly. There was no variation when data were stratified by sex. A negative correlation was found between hospitalization rates and mean length of hospital stay (P < 0.05) among girls, but not among boys or overall population. Conclusion: In Ceará, the creation of alternative mechanisms to hospital admission has not resulted in reduced hospitalization rates (AU)