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The Brazilian Policy of Comprehensive Care for People with Rare Diseases (BPCCPRD) was established by the Ministry of Health to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of life of people with rare diseases (RD). Several laboratory tests, most using molecular genetic technologies, have been incorporated by the Brazilian Public Health System, and 18 specialised centres have so far been established at university hospitals (UH) in the capitals of the Southern, Southeastern and Northeastern regions. However, whether the available human and technological resources in these services are appropriate and sufficient to achieve the goals of care established by the BPCCPRD is unknown. Despite great advances in diagnosis, especially due to new technologies and the recent structuring of clinical assessment of RD in Brazil, epidemiological data are lacking and when available, restricted to specific disorders. This position paper summarises the performance of a nationally representative survey on epidemiology, clinical status, and diagnostic and therapeutic resources employed for individuals with genetic and non-genetic RD in Brazil. The Brazilian Rare Disease Network (BRDN) is under development, comprising 40 institutions, including 18 UH, 17 Rare Diseases Reference Services and five Newborn Screening Reference Services. A retrospective study will be initially conducted, followed by a prospective study. The data collection instrument will use a standard protocol with sociodemographic data and clinical and diagnostic aspects according to international ontology. This great collaborative network is the first initiative of a large epidemiological data collection of RD in Latin America, and the results will increase the knowledge of RD in Brazil and help health managers to improve national public policy on RD in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yellow Fever (YF) is a viral arbovirosis of Public Health importance. In Brazil, surveillance is focused mainly on detecting epizootic events of Platyrrhini. Herein, we compared the detection and phylogenetic analysis of YF virus in two neotropical primates (NTP), a Callithrix detected in the previous epidemic period (2016–2020), and a Callicebus nigrifons , showing a new introduction of YF in 2023. This paper illustrates the importance of joint actions of laboratory and field teams to ensure quick response to Public Health emergencies, such as the intensification of vaccination of susceptible human populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to discuss how the public budget and the model of basic attention in public health could affect the infant mortality rates in a certain territory. The research was carried out in the Southern Coastal Territory of Bahia, in the State of Bahia, Northeast Region of Brazil. It is a quantitative and descriptive investigation, based on secondary data referring to the period from 2006 to 2015, collected between 2017 and 2018 in official Brazilian public data banks. It was verified that, although the average rate of infant mortality fell gradually from 2006 in the territory, it is still higher than the national average within the investigated period. In 2006, the average rate of the territory was 35.53% and decreased to 18.56% in 2015. However, throughout the period the average rate remained higher than the Brazilian average, which is 18%. Infant mortality rates have a strong relationship with social, economic, and environmental factors. In the case investigated, they are associated with the fragmentation and fragility of public health service networks in the municipalities of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To detect outbreaks of diseases in public health, several control charts have been proposed in the literature. In this context, the usual generalized linear model may be fitted for counts under a Negative Binomial distribution with a logarithm link function and the population size included as offset to model hospitalization rates. Different statistics are used to build CUSUM control charts to monitor daily hospitalizations and their performances are compared in simulation studies. The main contribution of the current paper is to consider different statistics based on transformations and the deviance residual to build control charts to monitor counts with seasonality effects and evaluate all the assumptions of the monitored statistics. The monitoring of daily number of hospital admissions due to respiratory diseases for people aged over 65 years in the city São Paulo-Brazil is considered as an illustration of the current proposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as smoking and sedentary behavior, are among the main modifiable risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases. The workplace is regarded as an important site of potential health risks where preventive strategies can be effective. We investigated independent associations among psychosocial job strain, leisure-time physical inactivity, and smoking in public servants in the largest Brazilian adult cohort. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)-a multicenter prospective cohort study of civil servants. Our analytical samples comprised 11,779 and 11,963 current workers for, respectively, analyses of job strain and leisure-time physical activity and analyses of job strain and smoking. Job strain was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Swedish Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire; physical activity was evaluated using a short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. We also examined smoking status and number of cigarettes smoked per day. The association reported in this paper was assessed by means of multinomial and logistic regression, stratified by sex. Results: Among men, compared with low-strain activities (low demand and high control), job strain showed an association with physical inactivity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-1.64) or with the practice of physical activities of less than recommended duration (OR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.15-1.82). Among women, greater likelihood of physical inactivity was identified among job-strain and passive-job groups (OR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.22-1.77 and OR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.20-1.67, respectively). Greater control at work was a protective factor for physical inactivity among both men and women. Social support at work was a protective factor for physical inactivity among women, as was smoking for both genders. We observed no association between demand or control dimensions and smoking. Conclusions: Job strain, job control, and social support were associated with physical activity. Social support at work was protective of smoking. Our results are comparable to those found in more developed countries; they provide additional evidence of an association between an adverse psychosocial work environment and health-related behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dermatophytes are a group of fungi that penetrate the stratum corneum invading the skin, hair and nails, using keratin as a substrate, causing infections in humans and animals known as dermatophytosis. It is a common occurrence these fungal infections in tropical countries, constituting a public health problem. A retrospective analysis of mycological tests on samples received in mycology section of the Biological Research Institute / Central Laboratory of the State / State Foundation for Production and Research in Health / Rio Grande do Sul (IPB - LACEN / FEPPS / RS), originating from health centers in Porto Alegre metropolitan areas and the state during the period 2007 to 2011. Statistical data were obtained using the software PASW Statistics 18, measures were used associations applying the Fisher exact test. Thus, this paper aims to contribute to the distribution of the most frequent etiological agents, is of great importance to investigate the prevalence of these cities in Rio Grande do Sul, in order to portray the epidemiological reality of dermatophytosis in the state, contributing to the realization of public health measures. Of the 6452 samples, 2342 were positive for dermatophytes. Among them T. rubrum was the most prevalent species (72.70%), followed by T. mentagrophytes (22.44%), M. gypseum (1.99%), M. canis (1.39%), E. floccosum (1.30%). Presenting a case for T. shoenleinii and a case for T. tonsurans (0.09%). The anatomical site were more infected toenails with 1,248 (53.23%) cases. Females were more affected. Through this study, we characterize the species of dermatophyte dermatophytosis more involved in our state, noting that the species Trichophyton rubrum is the most cosmopolitan of this fungal group, followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum gypseum, Microsporum canis, Ephydermophyton floccosun, Trichophyton tonsurans and T. shoenleinii. M. canis was the most frequent species in samples of scalp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid disorders are a major public health problem and drug therapies to control them have high cost, due to the continued use. This paper describes the costs and demographic and epidemiological profiles of the patients treated by the Pharmaceutical Specialized Care of the Brazilian Unified Health Care System, from 2003 to 2006, and identifies the characteristics related to the individual average monthly expenses on drugs. We included in the historical cohort 67,142 individuals, and the results of descriptive and multivariate analyses indicated a high frequency of pure hypercholesterolemia in adult women and elderly residents in the Southeast, of higher use of simvastatin and atorvastatin and individual average monthly expenditure of approximately R$ 88,00. It was observed that increasing age led to lower spending; male patients were more likely to have higher expenditure; and atorvastatin was the drug that most increased expenditures. The epidemiological profile was consistent with the literature and individual spending was high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The National Institute of Public Policy for Alcohol and Other Drugs (INPAD) is based at the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, and was created to collect scientific evidence regarding epidemiology, develop new therapeutic approaches, study health economics and provide education to subsidize the proper measures to change the Brazilian scenario of alcohol and drug consumption. Policies directed towards the control of alcohol and drugs in Brazil are fragmented, poorly enforced and therefore ineffective. The unregulated market of alcohol in Brazil has contributed to the worsening health of the Brazilian population. Since 1994, INPAD has participated actively in academic debates and discussions about alcohol and drug policies and their effects on the political welfare of the country. Many scientific papers and books have been published on this subject, and the internet and other media have provided excellent opportunities for the dissemination of specialized information to the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug safety profile is an important theme throughout the world. Recently, it has gained importance in the field of veterinary medicines. In Brazil, Ministry of Agriculture Law SDA 152/2008 submitted to the public consultation the draft of a National Program of Veterinary Pharmacovigilance. Taking into consideration the health risk to exposed human beings, the objectives of this paper are: characterization of veterinary pharmacovigilance and its usefulness for the Public Health, the description of established veterinary pharmacovigilance programs from the United States of America, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and the analysis of the Brazilian Program of veterinary pharmacovigilance draft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]