Urban arbovirosis in the state of São Paulo, Brazil: A retrospective study.

Background & Objectives: Dengue represents one of the most important arboviruses in public health, and its etiological agent is transmitted by the bite of dipterans of the genus Aedes. Every year this disease affects a large part of the population of the state of São Paulo in Brazil, particularly due to the availability of favorable environmental conditions for the growth and development of the vector mosquito. This study aimed to verify the distribution of urban arboviruses in the municipalities of the state of São Paulo and the successful experiences of municipal governments to reduce cases, to highlight strategies that have successfully culminated, and which can serve as a basis for prevention strategies.

Methods: Information taken from government databases of the Ministry of Health and demographic data were used, where the incidence rate of 14 selected municipalities in the region of Vale do Paraíba between 2015 and 2019 was determined, and an attempt was made to evidence the strategies used to reduce cases.

Results: High incidence rates were observed in 2015 and 2019 concerning the other years of the historical series, due to environmental factors and the variation in the circulating strain.

Interpretation & Conclusion: The observed data allowed us to infer that the prevention strategies recommended by the evaluated municipalities had a positive effect in the years 2016 to 2018, but unforeseen a priori factors culminated in epidemics, revealing the importance of implementing epidemiological studies using advanced mapping tools, as a way of to minimize the risk of future epidemics.