Household rat infestation in urban slum populations: Development and validation of a predictive score for leptospirosis.

Domestic rats are the principal reservoir for urban leptospirosis. However, few studies have identified infestation markers in slums and evaluated their predictivity for leptospirosis risk. We compared households with leptospirosis cases in Salvador, Brazil between 2007 and 2009 and their neighbors using a case control design, surveying for rodent infestation signs and environmental characteristics.

Projection of COVID-19 intensive care hospitalizations in the Federal District, Brazil: an analysis of the impact of social distancing measures.

Objective: To build scenarios and analyze the impact of social distancing policies on the spread of COVID-19 and the need for intensive care unit beds.

Methods: Three dissemination scenarios were built according to level of adherence to social distancing measures in the context of Brazil's Federal District, based on a dynamic transition compartmental model and Monte Carlo simulations. The model's parameter values were based on official sources, indexed bibliographic databases and public data repositories.

Epidemiological profile of health consultations during the Mozambique 9 National Cultural Festival, August 2016.

Introduction: The use of mass gatherings as spaces to practice health surveillance has been growing in recent years. In Mozambique, the 9th National Festival of Culture in 2016 was selected for this practice. A specific public health surveillance system to facilitate rapid detection of outbreaks and other health-related events was implemented for this event with real time data collection and analysis.

Profile of demand and Continuous Cash Benefits (BCP) granted to children diagnosed with microcephaly in Brazil.

The Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988 introduced the Continuous Cash Benefits (BCP), allowing the inclusion of people with disabilities. This is a descriptive study with aggregate municipal data about the time and geographic distribution of the incidence of microcephaly related to the Zika virus in Brazil and data of the BCP grants to children diagnosed with microcephaly. Data on the demand and BCP grants to children with microcephaly since 2009 are shown.

Laboratory Environment Management System - GAL: Assessment of a tool for sentinel surveillance of influenza-like illness, Brazil, 2011-2012.

Objective: to evaluate the Brazilian Laboratorial Environment Management System (GAL) as a data source for the Sentinel Surveillance of Influenza-Like Illness (SSILI).

Methods: this is an evaluation study of GAL, through the analysis of its simplicity, flexibility, data quality, acceptability, representativeness, timeliness, stability and usefulness for SSILI, based on the guide for system evaluation in public health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta/GA, USA).

Results: in 2011 and 2012, a total of 13,765 exams for respiratory viruses were registered.

Investigation of an outbreak of bloody diarrhea complicated with hemolytic uremic syndrome.

In July-August 2009, eight patients with bloody diarrhea complicated by hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) were admitted to hospitals in Tbilisi, Georgia. We started active surveillance in two regions for bloody diarrhea and post-diarrheal HUS. Of 25 case-patients who developed HUS, including the initial 8 cases, half were ⩾15 years old, 67% were female and seven (28%) died.