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Understanding the distribution of tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) in different periods enables the adequate conduction of actions at the public health level. The present study analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution of TL incidence rates in the municipalities of Brazil and identifies priority areas from 2001 to 2020. Notifications of new cases were analyzed employing space-time scan statistics and Local Indicators of Spatial Association. As TL incidence rates presented a downward trend in most Brazilian municipalities, spatiotemporal clusters of high relative risks (RR) were more frequent in the first decade of the series. There was a concentration of those clusters in the North and Northeast regions, mainly in the Legal Amazon area. More recent high-RR areas were identified in municipalities of different regions. The number of priority municipalities showed a stable trend in Brazil. There was a great concentration of such municipalities in the states of Acre, Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Pará, and Amapá, as well as large areas in Roraima, Amazonas, Maranhão, and Tocantins, and smaller areas in the states of Goiás, Ceará, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Paraná. The present study contributes to the understanding of the historical evolution of TL in Brazil and subsidizes actions to combat the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study describes the spatio‐temporal dynamics of new visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases notified in Brazil between 2001 and 2020. Methods and Results: Data on the occurrence of the disease were obtained by means of the Notifiable Diseases Information System of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Joinpoint, temporal generalized additive models and conditional autoregressive (CAR) models were used to analyse the temporal evolution of the rates in Brazil, states and regions. Spatio‐temporal generalized additive and CAR models were used to identify the distribution of annual risks of VL occurrence in the Brazilian territory in relation to variation in the spatial average. There were 63,966 VL cases in the target period (3.198 cases/year), corresponding to a mean incidence rate of 1.68 cases/100,000 inhabitants. Of these, 4451 resulted in deaths, which gives a mean mortality rate of 0.12 deaths/100,000 inhabitants and a case fatality of 6.96%. The highest incidence rate was found in the North region, followed closely by the Northeast region, which presented the second and first highest mortality rates, respectively. For all of Brazil, and in the Northeast region, there were stability in the incidence rates, while the other regions showed an increasing trend in different time segments in the period: Central‐West up to 2011, North up to 2008, Southeast up to 2004, and South up to 2010. On the other hand, all regions experienced a reduction in incidence rate during the last years of the series. The Northeast region had the highest number of municipalities with statistically significant elevated relative risks. The spatio‐temporal analysis showed the highest risk area predominantly in the Northeast region in the beginning of the time series. From 2002 to 2018, this area expanded to the interior of the country. Conclusions: The present study has shown that VL has expanded in Brazil. However, the North and Northeast regions continue to have the highest incidence, and the risk of infection has decreased in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Due to recent outbreaks of Dengue and Chikungunya and an absence of effective monitoring of the mosquito Aedes spp. in the municipality of São Raimundo das Mangabeiras, State of Maranhão, we aimed to demonstrate the potential of ovitraps used together with mathematical models and geotechnology to improve control of this mosquito. Methodology: From January to December of 2017, ovitraps were set up in five different neighborhoods (Centro, Vila Cardoso, Nazaré, São José e São Francisco). Positivity indices were calculated for each ovitraps, besides the egg density and average number of eggs. Some of the eggs were used for species identification. Mathematical models of correlation and logistic regression were used to evaluate the influence of abiotic factors on egg distribution during each month. Spatial analysis was carried out using georeferencing. Results: A total of 4,453 eggs were counted, with A. aegypti and A. albopictus present in each month and neighborhood. The mathematical models show that rainfall can result in a significant increase in the number of eggs. Entomological calculation indicates that there is a high risk of dissemination of arboviruses in the area. Spatially, it was possible to indicate sites with the largest number of collected eggs, which may facilitate future interventions. Conclusions: As such, ovitraps have proven to be an effective and low cost method for the monitoring of Aedes spp., and that its use may help in arboviruses prevention campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 1970, Brazil implemented the Schistosomiasis Control Program (PCE, Portuguese acronym for Programa de Controle da Esquistossomose) was implemented in Brazil, where, through successive treatment interventions, the epidemiology and transmission of schistosomiasis have changed significantly over time. This study aimed to evaluate the PCE's effectiveness by critically analyzing the disease notification system., Methods: An ecological study was conducted using data on reported schistosomiasis cases in Brazil between 2007 and 2020., Results: The highest number of municipalities actively participating in the PCE was 750, recorded in 2007. Conversely, participation reached its lowest point in 2020, with only 259 municipalities involved. Over the past decade, there has been a drastic decline in the number of municipalities with active schistosomiasis control programs. During the same period, there was an observed increase in the number of deaths caused by schistosomiasis, while the number of reported cases decreased. This suggests an inverse correlation., Conclusions: The present data suggest that schistosomiasis cases are not correctly diagnosed or reported, reflecting a twisted image of the magnitude of this public health problem in Brazil.

Objective: To analyze the transmission dynamics of dengue, a public health problem in Brazil and the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (MRBH)., Methods: The spatiotemporal evolution of the occurrence of dengue in the municipality of Contagem, state of Minas Gerais, a region with high arbovirus transmission, was analyzed. Furthermore, epidemic and non-epidemic periods were analyzed, based on probable cases of dengue. This is an ecological study that used the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) national database. The analyses were carried out considering the period from epidemiological week (EW) 40 of 2011 to 39 of 2017. Spatial analysis tools (crude and smoothed incidence rate, directional distribution ellipse, global Moran index and local Moran index, and spatial scanning time with definition of epidemiological risk) were used., Results: The 2012 to 2013 and 2015 to 2016 epidemic cycles presented high incidence rates. The disease was concentrated in more urbanized areas, with a small increase in cases throughout the municipality. Seven statistically significant local clusters and areas with a high rate of cases and accentuated transmission in epidemic cycles were observed throughout the municipality. Spatial autocorrelation of the incidence rate was observed in all periods., Conclusion: The results of the present study highlight a significant and heterogeneous increase in dengue notifications in Contagem over the years, revealing distinct spatial patterns during epidemic and non-epidemic periods. Geoprocessing analysis identified high-risk areas, a piece of knowledge that can optimize the allocation of resources in the prevention and treatment of the disease for that municipality.

Information concerning the factors affecting the circulation and distribution of free-roaming dogs is crucial in developing control actions and limiting the spread of zoonoses. The present study analyzes the influence of gender, sterilization, and environment on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs in urban settings. Animals were captured/recaptured in seven consecutive morning sampling efforts conducted at 2-monthly intervals in control and intervention areas in a medium-size town in southeastern Brazil. Capture locations were georeferenced and captured animals were microchipped before being released at their original capture sites. Dogs captured in the intervention area were subjected additionally to surgical sterilization prior to release. Home range (HR) areas were calculated by applying the minimum convex polygon method to dogs that had been captured at least three times. Land coverage zones were determined from satellite images and overlaid on maps of the study areas along with the locations of 22 commercial food outlets. HR areas showed a global mean of 448 m 2 and a median of 28 m 2 , values that were smaller than those reported previously for dogs in rural regions. The median HR of females (64.m 2 ) was higher than that of males (15 m 2 ), while median HRs of animals in the control and intervention areas were similar (27 and 28.5 m 2 , respectively). Variability of HR was high, although animals with small HRs predominated. Free-roaming dogs grouped primarily in urbanized and transitional regions, and their spatial distribution was positively correlated with locations of commercial food outlets. While sterilization did not influence HR size, the search for food was a key factor in determining mobility and spatial aggregation of free-roaming dogs. Our findings are pertinent in understanding the ecology of free-roaming dogs in urban environments and will be applicable to strategies aimed at promoting animal welfare and preventing the dissemination of zoonoses., (Copyright © 2020 Melo, da Silva, Barbosa, Teixeira-Neto, Lacorte, Horta, Cardoso, Werneck, Struchiner and Belo.)