ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dengue is a viral febrile infectious disease characterized by mild symptoms that can progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Due to socioeconomic and environmental reasons, it is a significant public health problem in Brazil with high morbidity rates among children. The objective is to analyze the epidemiological behavior of dengue and DHF hospitalizations in Brazil and point out the importance of health surveillance. METHOD(S): Data were collected from the Sistema de Informacoes Hospitalares of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The study population was children from zero to 14 years old diagnosed with classic dengue and/or DHF from January 2008 to November 2021 in Brazil. The variables analyzed were hospitalizations and deaths over the years, hospitalization time and expenses. RESULT(S): A total of 192,424 hospitalizations for dengue and DHF were reported, of which 95.3% were considered medical emergencies. Its epidemiological behavior has fluctuated over the years, with an increase of 162.0% between 2017 and 2019, followed by a decreasing trend starting in 2020. Despite the low mortality rate (0.24%), this scenario was responsible for $12,347,942.38 in expenses and a total of 652,552 hospitalization days. CONCLUSION(S): Dengue is responsible for a major socioeconomic impact on Brazilian's public health system since its severe cases require intensive care to avoid shock, organ failure and death. Due to COVID-19 pandemic and population's fear of contamination in medical facilities, underreporting of arboviruses cases was observed. Since early diagnosis and monitoring are predictors of good prognosis, it is crucial to encourage notification, epidemiological surveillance and sanitary hygiene measures.
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: A novel type of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is responsible for an unprecedented pandemic with profound socioeconomic consequences. Owing to its recent discovery still represents a great unknown to researchers. Thus, this study aims to establish the spatio-temporal associations of the incidence, mortality, and the rate of both rapid and RT-PCR tests in Minas Gerais. Methods: This is a quantitative analysis of secondary data based on a cross-sectional research design. Incidence, mortality, date of the first notification of COVID-19 and number of rapid and RT-PCR tests were obtained from the sources: "GAL", "e-SUS VE" and "SES-MG". Pearson coefficient for correlation was calculated to establish the level of association between the relevant data. Descriptive statistical procedures were used to provide a comprehensive understanding of the distribution of incidence, mortality and test rates in the territory. Results: Positive correlations were found between the rate of rapid tests and incidence;rate of RT-PCR tests and incidence/mortality. At the municipal level, incidence, mortality, rate of rapid tests and RT-PCR revealed a negative correlation with days elapsed since the First Notified Case. The same effect occurs at the level of health macro-regions. Conclusion: The heterogeneity of the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 in the territory of Minas Gerais, as well as the rate of tests may be caused, in part, due to the different dates of introduction of the virus in the municipalities/macro-regions. It is speculated that this phenomenon occurs due to the dynamics of regional and inter-regional flows of people.