Leprosy in Brazilian counties bordering Paraguay: Mato Grosso do Sul State, 2001-2011.

Background: In Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, the dry border shared with Paraguay is a territory marked by facilities in the flow of goods, services and people, bringing difficulties for surveillance of communicable diseases.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to characterise leprosy epidemiologically in dry border municipalities of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil with contiguous urban areas with neighbouring Paraguayan counties, in the period 2001-2011.

Methods: This is an exploratory descriptive investigation that includes the four dry border municipalities of Mato Grosso do Sul (Coronel Sapucaia, Paranhos, Ponta Porã, and Sete Quedas) in Brazil whose urban areas are contiguous with Paraguay.

The context of leprosy in Brazil-Paraguay border.

In Brazil, leprosy is endemic in three regions: the North, Northeast, and Mid-West. Counties with contiguous binational urban areas are characterized by a constant flow of people, goods, and services, which facilitates the transmission of diseases and influences the epidemiological profile of leprosy. The purpose of this study was to examine territorial differences in relation to the incidence of leprosy, focusing on border counties with contiguous binational urban areas or otherwise.

[Incorporation of controlling dengue by community health agent].

The purpose of this study was to identify self-perceived differences in the work processes of community health agents (CHA) in two counties of Mato Grosso do Sul, regarding dengue control and Family Health Strategy (FHS) activities. Structured interviews were applied to 57 CHA. The subjects had similar sociodemographic characteristics.

[The incorporation of activities to control dengue by community health agents].

Objective: To evaluate the performance of Community Health Agents when dengue control activities were added to their tasks.

Methods: Performance was measured comparing the evolution of selected indicators from the Brazilian National Dengue Control Program and the Family Health Strategy for 2002 to 2008 in the municipality of Sao Gabriel do Oeste, MS, Central Western Brazil, with those of Rio Verde de Mato Grosso, neighboring municipality with demographic, socioeconomic and health services similarities. Data were collected from municipal databases of the Information System for Yellow Fever and Dengue and the Information System for Primary Healthcare of the Mato Grosso do Sul State Health Office.

[Methodology for construction of a panel of indicators for monitoring and evaluation of unified health system (SUS) management].

This study sought to develop methodology for the construction of a Panel for the Monitoring and Evaluation of Management of the Unified Health System (SUS). The participative process used in addition to the systematization conducted made it possible to identify an effective strategy for building management tools in partnership with researchers, academic institutions and managers of the SUS. The final systematization of the Panel selected indicators for the management of the SUS in terms of Demand, Inputs, Processes, Outputs and Outcomes in order to provide a simple, versatile and useful tool for evaluation at any level of management and more transparent and easier communication with all stakeholders in decision-making.

[The role of evaluation in decision-making in the management of health services].

The management of health services is a complex administrative practice due to the breadth of the field of health and the need to reconcile individual, corporate and collective interests that are not always convergent. In this context, the evaluation needs to have specific characteristics in order to fulfill its role. The scope of this study was to establish the characteristics that the evaluation for the management of health services should have to contribute to decision-making.

[Health consultations provided by the public Unified Health System to Brazilians living on the Brazil-Paraguay border].

Objective: To identify and analyze the characteristics of consultations provided by the Unified Health System (SUS) to Brazilians living abroad in the cities of Ponta Porã, Coronel Sapucaia, Paranhos, and Sete Quedas, located on the border of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraguay. METHODS. Data were collected during a 30-day period using a form filled out for each consultation provided.

[Vulnerability of men who have sex with men in the context of AIDS].

The number of AIDS cases in men who have sex with men (MSM) decreased in the initial years of the epidemic, but the percentage of cases in this group has remained unaltered in the last five years. This study, aimed to improve knowledge on the impact of AIDS in the daily lives of MSM, was conducted in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, using a questionnaire and interviews. The results show that MSM perceive their vulnerability to HIV infection, referring to inconsistent condom use and multiple sex partners, given that 65% of homosexuals, 75% of bisexuals, and 33% of transvestites reported up to 5 partners in the previous month and emphasizing that 59% of the group reported more than 11 partners during the same period.