DEMOGRAPHIC AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF ACUTE CHAGAS DISEASE

Abstract

Acute Chagas disease (aChas) is a neglected zoonosis that causes various social and economic damages, so this article aims to know the current epidemiological profile of this disease. A descriptive, documentary, and retrospective study was conducted, based on notifications of CDa registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System between 2007 and 2018. The annual incidence of CDa is 0.11 cases/100,000 inhabitants, and is more frequent in the northern region of the country. During the period, it was more reported in the urban area and in the age groups of children and adolescents and young adults, with the main cases recorded from August to December. Deaths were rare, however, many segments were ignored. The present study reveals the epidemiological change of ACD, with the primary factors being the oral route, the urban environment and working-age adults. In addition, the months with the highest rates of notifications were from August to December, resulting from the açaí harvest in Pará. In Brazil, there is a high incidence of the disease, however, there is a loss of notification in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), resulting from the high rates of asymptomatic patients, which are not accounted for in the statistics. Therefore, it is worth emphasizing the change in the dissemination of DCA, as well as the socioeconomic and public health impacts.