Introduction: Foodborne diseases are spread through physical, chemical or biological agents.
Chagas disease (CD) represents an infectious condition whose etiological agent is the
flagellate hemoprotozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which has a biphasic clinical course, consisting
of an acute and a chronic phase, is classified as a neglected disease and generally oral
transmission is related to the consumption of sugarcane juice, açaí, babassu palm, jaci,
bacaba and buriti. In acute Chagas disease (ACD), only 10% of the affected population has
symptoms, which corroborates the underreporting of cases of affected individuals.
Contamination by CD is estimated to be between 6 and 7 million infected individuals
worldwide, being predominant in endemic areas of the disease, located in 21 countries in
Latin America, including Brazil. In recent years, Brazil has had thousands of confirmed cases
of ACD, and the North region was the one most affected by it, as it has been an endemic area
for ACD since the 1990s. Objective: To describe the panorama of DCA in the North region
of Brazil during the period from 2007 to 2018. Methodology: Cross-sectional, descriptive,
and analytical study, using secondary data from public consultation on cases of DCA made
publicly available in the Information and Health System of Notification from Brazil. The data
used cover only the ACD cases, specifically referring to the Northern region of Brazil during
the period from 2007 to 2018. Considering the variables: total number of notified cases, form
of disease transmission, infection status, gender, race, range age, area of residence and
monthly seasonality of the ACD. A quantitative data approach was performed, with
descriptive statistical analysis, with calculations of mean, standard deviation, and percentages.
Friedman's test was applied to determine the statistical significance levels between the
variables. Results: In the period from 2007 to 2018 in the North region, 2,248 confirmed
cases of ACD were registered. Pará was the state with the highest number of notifications,
being represented by 85.5% of cases. According to the incidence rate of the states in North
region, the state of Pará had the highest one. Regarding gender, 1,212 cases affected males
(54%) and 1,036 cases affected females (46%). The most affected races/colors were brown,
with 1760 of the cases. The age group that presented the most cases of ACD were people
among 20 and 39 years old, totalizing, in all states, 765 occurrences. The main means of
transmission detected in North region were orally (1,861). The main place of contamination
was associated with the home environment, with 1,551 cases. 1,176 cases occurred in urban
areas. The month with the highest number of infections was October, with 353 cases.
Conclusion: The ACD in the Northern region of Brazil, from 2007 to 2018, presented a
worrisome situation. The pathology mainly affects males, declared to be of mixed race/color,
aged among 20 and 39 years old, infected through oral transmission. The notification period
occurred predominantly from August to December, a period that matches with the açaí
harvest. The need to encourage surveillance and epidemiological and sanitary control actions
is highlighted, as well as health education activities, especially regarding to oral transmission.
|
