The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on work accidents with exposure to biological material in Brazil: an interrupted time series analysis.

Objective: To analyze the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the occurrence of work accidents involving biological materials (ATBio) and to assess changes in the epidemiological profile of these cases.

Methods: An ecological time-series study with a cross-sectional component was conducted using ATBio notifications in Brazil from 2015 to 2022 in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (Sinan). Interrupted time-series analyses were performed using Prais-Winsten regression models, temporal predictions, and multiple logistic regression to identify changes in the profile between the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.

Towards malaria elimination: a case-control study to assess associated factors to malaria relapses in the extra-Amazon Region of Brazil from 2008 to 2019.

Background: Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium species and is a global burden. When not treated correctly, it can reemerge as a relapse or recrudescence. Malaria relapse cases can contribute to maintaining active transmission chains and can influence the patient to develop severe malaria, potentially leading to hospitalization or death.

Brazil towards malaria elimination: A time-series analysis of imported cases from 2007 to 2022.

Malaria is a global health challenge, and international efforts are underway to alleviate its impact by 2035. Within the 249 million global cases, 0.6 million occur in the Americas, mainly in Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia.

Malaria in areas under mining activity in the Amazon: A review.

Deforestation and high human mobility due to mining activities have been key to the increase in malaria cases in the Americas. Here, we review the epidemiological and control aspects of malaria in the Amazon mining areas. Epidemiological evidence shows: 1) a positive correlation between illegal mining activity and malaria incidence, mostly in the Amazon region; 2) most Brazilian miners are males aged 15-29 years who move between states and even countries; 3) miners do not fear the disease and rely on medical care, diagnosis, and medication when they become ill; 4) illegal mining has emerged as the most reported anthropogenic activity within indigenous lands and is identified as a major cause of malaria outbreaks among indigenous people in the Amazon; and 5) because mining is largely illegal, most areas are not covered by any healthcare facilities or activities, leading to little assistance in the diagnosis and treatment of malaria.

Towards malaria elimination: a reflection about digital notification modules to improve malaria cases notification speed and follow-up in the Brazilian Amazon region.

Background: Health information systems (HIS) are a pivotal element in epidemiological surveillance. In Brazil, malaria persists as a public health challenge, with 99% of its occurrences concentrated in the Amazon region, where cases are reported through the HIS Sivep-Malaria. Recent technological advancements indicate that case notifications can be expedited through more efficient systems with broader coverage.

Is Brazil reaching malaria elimination? A time series analysis of malaria cases from 2011 to 2023.

In Brazil, 99% of malaria cases occur in the Amazon region, mainly caused by Plasmodium vivax (~83%) and Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) species. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, Brazil aims to eliminate autochthonous malaria by 2035. This study aims to analyse epidemiological patterns of malaria in Brazil to discuss if Brazil is on track to meet malaria control targets.

Record Linkage for Malaria Deaths Data Recovery and Surveillance in Brazil.

Objective: The objective is to describe the results and the methodological processes of record linkage for matching deaths and malaria cases.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with probabilistic record linkage of death and malaria cases data in Brazil from 2011 to 2020 using death records from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and epidemiological data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan) and Epidemiological Surveillance Information Systems for malaria (Sivep-Malaria). Three matching keys were used: patient's name, date of birth, and mother's name, with an analysis of cosine and Levenshtein dissimilarity measures.

Assessing the impact of the "malaria supporters project" intervention to malaria control in the Brazilian Amazon: an interrupted time-series analysis.

Background: In 2021, Brazil was responsible for more than 25% of malaria cases in the Americas. Although the country has shown a reduction of cases in the last decades, in 2021 it reported over 139,000 malaria cases. One major malaria control strategy implemented in Brazil is the "Malaria Supporters Project", which has been active since 2012 and is directed to municipalities responsible for most Brazil's cases.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Length of Stay at Work after Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Longitudinal Study in Brazil.

Vocational rehabilitation is an intervention to enhance the return to work and improve quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate sociodemographic and occupational factors associated with the length of stay at work among workers with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) who had undergone rehabilitation through the Brazilian public social security system. This was a longitudinal study among 680 workers with histories of disability due to WRMDs who returned to the formal job market after vocational rehabilitation between 2014 and 2018.

Procedures for health data linkage: applications in health surveillance.

Objective: To present a standardized methodology for linking different public health databases.

Methods: This was a methodological review article specifically describing data processing procedures for deterministic linkage between structured databases. It instructs on how to: treat data, select linkage keys, and link databases using two databases simulated in R software.

Malaria time series in the extra-Amazon region of Brazil: epidemiological scenario and a two-year prediction model.

Background: In Brazil, malaria is caused mainly by the Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum species. Its transmission occurs in endemic and non-endemic areas. Malaria geography in Brazil has retracted and is now concentrated in the North region.

Research Development Using REDCap Software.

Objectives: High-quality clinical research is dependent on adequate design, methodology, and data collection. The utilization of electronic data capture (EDC) systems is recommended to optimize research data through proper management. This paper's objective is to present the procedures of REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture), which supports research development, and to promote the utilization of this software among the scientific community.

Sensitivity of Guillain-Barre Syndrome Surveillance in the Brazilian Federal District, using the Capture-Recapture Method.

Introduction: Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is an acute immune-mediated polyneuropathy that compromises the peripheral and cranial nerves. It is characterized by rapid-onset paresthesia accompanied by progressive weakness in the lower extremities followed by symmetric ascending paralysis.

Methodology: assessment of sensitivity to detect GBS between March 2017 and May 2019 in a public referral hospital, using the capture-recapture method based on the Chapman estimator and comparing three GBS data sources: the hospital-based sentinel surveillance system (VSBH), Human Immunoglobulin Dispensing Records System (RDIH), and Hospital Information System (SIH).

Costs of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in the Brazilian Federal District: the patients' perspective.

Background: Although rare, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) has a high economic burden, with consequences for families and society. This study aimed to estimate the total cost of GBS, per individual and per variant of the disease, as well as its effect on household income, from the perspective of patients.

Methods: This was a cost-of-illness study from the perspective of patients and their families, with a time horizon from disease onset to 6 mo after discharge.

Measuring mosquito control: adult-mosquito catches vs egg-trap data as endpoints of a cluster-randomized controlled trial of mosquito-disseminated pyriproxyfen.

Background: Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus are the main urban vectors of arthropod-borne viruses causing human disease, including dengue, Zika, or West Nile. Although key to disease prevention, urban-mosquito control has met only limited success. Alternative vector-control tactics are therefore being developed and tested, often using entomological endpoints to measure impact.