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Objective. To estimate the prevalence of trachoma in indigenous and non-indigenous populations in selected areas of the state of Maranhão, in northeastern Brazil. Methods. This was a population-based survey with probabilistic sampling. For the diagnosis of trachoma, external ocular examination was performed using head magnifying loupes, at 2.5X magnification. The prevalence of trachomatous inflammation – follicular (TF) in children aged 1–9 years and the prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) in the population aged ≥15 years were estimated. Relative frequencies of sociodemographic and environmental characteristics were obtained. Results. The study included 7 971 individuals, 3 429 from non-indigenous populations and 4 542 from indigenous populations. The prevalence of TF in non-indigenous and indigenous populations was 0.1% and 2.9%, respectively, and the prevalence of TT among indigenous populations was 0.1%. Conclusions. The prevalence of TF and TT in the two evaluation units in the state of Maranhão were within the limits recommended for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. However, the prevalence of TF was higher in the indigenous evaluation unit, indicating a greater vulnerability of this population to the disease. The prevalence of TF of below 5.0% implies a reduction in transmission, which may have resulted from improved socioeconomic conditions and/or the implementation of the World Health Organization SAFE strategy.

Dengue virus (DENV) is a prominent arbovirus with global spread, causing approximately 390 million infections each year. In Brazil, yearly epidemics follow a well-documented pattern of serotype replacement every three to four years on average. Araraquara, located in the state of São Paulo, has faced significant impacts from DENV epidemics since the emergence of DENV-1 in 2010. The municipality then transitioned from low to moderate endemicity in less than 10 years. Yet, there remains an insufficient understanding of virus circulation dynamics, particularly concerning DENV-1, in the region, as well as the genetic characteristics of the virus. To address this, we sequenced 37 complete or partial DENV-1 genomes sampled from 2015 to 2022 in Araraquara. Then, using also Brazilian and worldwide DENV-1 sequences we reconstructed the evolutionary history of DENV-1 in Araraquara and estimated the time to the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) for serotype 1, for genotype V and its main lineages. Within the last ten years, there have been at least three introductions of genotype V in Araraquara, distributed in two main lineages (L Ia and L Ib, and L II). The tMRCA for the first sampled lineage (2015/2016 epidemics) was approximately 15 years ago (in 2008). Crucially, our analysis challenges existing assumptions regarding the emergence time of the DENV-1 genotypes, suggesting that genotype V might have diverged more recently than previously described. The presence of the two lineages of genotype V in the municipality might have contributed to the extended persistence of DENV-1 in the region.

Abstract Background Influenza epidemics significantly weight on the Brazilian healthcare system and its society. Public health authorities have progressively expanded recommendations for vaccination against influenza, particularly to the pediatric population. However, the potential mismatch between the trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) strains and those circulating during the season remains an issue. Quadrivalent vaccines improves vaccines effectiveness by preventing any potential mismatch on influenza B lineages. Methods We evaluate the public health and economic benefits of the switch from TIV to QIV for the pediatric influenza recommendation (6mo-5yo) by using a dynamic epidemiological model able to consider the indirect impact of vaccination. Results of the epidemiological model are then imputed in a health-economic model adapted to the Brazilian context. We perform deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis to account for both epidemiological and economical sources of uncertainty. Results Our results show that switching from TIV to QIV in the Brazilian pediatric population would prevent 406,600 symptomatic cases, 11,300 hospitalizations and almost 400 deaths by influenza season. This strategy would save 3400 life-years yearly for an incremental direct cost of R$169 million per year, down to R$86 million from a societal perspective. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for the switch would be R$49,700 per life-year saved and R$26,800 per quality-adjusted life-year gained from a public payer perspective, and even more cost-effective from a societal perspective. Our results are qualitatively similar in our sensitivity analysis. Conclusions Our analysis shows that switching from TIV to QIV to protect children aged 6mo to 5yo in the Brazilian influenza epidemiological context could have a strong public health impact and represent a cost-effective strategy from a public payer perspective, and a highly cost-effective one from a societal perspective.

Summary: Background: The Brazilian state of Paraná conducted a mass vaccination campaign against dengue with the tetravalent attenuated vaccine CYD-TDV. The campaign targeted thirty endemic municipalities. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of CYD-TDV in preventing symptomatic virologically confirmed dengue cases according to specific age groups in five of the municipalities. Methods: A case-control study was carried out in the five most populous municipalities targeted by the vaccination, with a vaccine uptake of 25%. Symptomatic dengue cases were identified by the municipal health departments. The age groups targeted were 15–18 and 19–27 in four municipalities and 9–14 and 28–44 in one municipality. All cases were confirmed by real time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). For each case, two controls were selected: a neighbourhood control and a workplace or school/college control, matched by age group. A conditional logistic regression model was used to determine the odds ratio for vaccination and the vaccine effectiveness. Findings: Study participants included 618 RT-qPCR-confirmed dengue cases and 1,236 matched controls (with a non-reactive dengue IgM serologic test). Vaccine effectiveness against dengue due to any serotype was 11·1% (95% CI: –19·0%; 33·6%). Effectiveness against DENV-1 was 33·3% (95% CI: –5·0%; 57·6%) and against DENV-2 was –56·7% (95% CI: –142·2%; –5·0%). No DENV-3 was detected. The vaccine was significantly effective in the prevention of DENV-4 cases (VE = 93·3%; 95% CI: 47·7%; 99·2%). Interpretation: CYD-TDV was effective in the prevention of symptomatic cases due to DENV-4, but not due to any serotype. The low dengue seroprevalence in the target population could possibly be related to these results. Funding: This study was supported through a grant to the Sabin Vaccine Institute from Sanofi-Pasteur. Sanofi-Pasteur had no role in the study design, protocol development, data collection, analysis, or publication of results.

Abstract This study comprised the application of a survey in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2 different periods of 2020: the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic and the disease’s first peak (from March to April, 100 interviews) to the time of stability in case fatality rates (from May to July, 100 interviews); the questionnaire included was composed of 14 multiple-choice questions to evaluate the importance of mass communication channels, including social media, and the level of importance attributed to preventive measures at the beginning of the pandemic. The changes in people’s behavior, even in a group with more schooling, which initially considered preventive measures to be very important (91%) but, in the second survey, was reduced to 82%. The reinforcement of preventive measures to reduce cases and deaths by covid-19 in Brazil is urgent, allied to recommendations with clear information on the importance of vaccination to avoid low rates as the current situation of vaccine coverage for preventable diseases.

ABSTRACT Dengue fever is re-emerging worldwide, however the reasons of this new emergence are not fully understood. Our goal was to report the incidence of dengue in one of the most populous States of Brazil, and to assess the high-risk areas using a spatial and spatio-temporal annual models including geoclimatic, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. An ecological study with both, a spatial and a temporal component was carried out in Sao Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil, between January 1st, 2007 and December 31st, 2019. Crude and Bayesian empirical rates of dengue cases following by Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIR) were calculated considering the municipalities as the analytical units and using the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation in a Bayesian context. A total of 2,027,142 cases of dengue were reported during the studied period. The spatial model allocated the municipalities in four groups according to the SIR values: (I) SIR2.0 identified the municipalities with higher risk for dengue outbreaks. “Hot spots” are shown in the thematic maps. Significant correlations between SIR and two climate variables, two demographic variables and one socioeconomical variable were found. No significant correlations were found in the spatio-temporal model. The incidence of dengue exhibited an inconstant and unpredictable variation every year. The highest rates of dengue are concentrated in geographical clusters with lower surface pressure, rainfall and altitude, but also in municipalities with higher degree of urbanization and better socioeconomic conditions. Nevertheless, annual consolidated variations in climatic features do not influence in the epidemic yearly pattern of dengue in southeastern Brazil.

Introduction: Emerging countries have increased their presence in international travel (46.8% of travels). Pre- and post-travel consultations may provide insights about travelers’ health. Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis of the medical data of all travelers assisted at Ambulatório dos Viajantes, a free public health clinic for travelers in São Paulo, Brazil, from January to December 2016 was performed. The patients were profiled based on post-travel consultation data and screened by gender, age according to the United Nations working-age population distribution (0-14 years, children; 15-24 years, youths; 25-65 years, working age; over 65 years, older persons), travel destination, and diseases that affected travelers. Results: In 2016 (n=280 appointments), 93.92% of clients received some type of vaccine (regular or booster dose). Post-travel consultations (n=27; 9.64%) were predominantly male (62.96% of appointments) and comprised cases of malaria (44.4%; 6 positive cases of Plasmodium falciparum, 4 positive cases of Plasmodium vivax, and 2 unclassified), fever (7.4%), AGE - acute gastroenteritis (7.4%), hepatitis A (3.7%), nausea (3.7%), insect bite (3.7%), abdominal pain (3.7%), arthralgia (3.7%), vaginal discharge (3.7%), and cases under investigation (18.5%). Brazilian travelers presented the same incidence of post-travel counseling as developed countries’ travel medicine clinics (~9%). Conclusion: Immunization in pre-travel counseling may reduce the importation of preventable infectious diseases and increase Brazilians’ traveler vaccine coverage, a current concern in the country.

ABSTRACT In this study which is part of a research project on Chagas disease (CD) among Bolivian immigrants in Sao Paulo, we describe socioeconomic characteristics, knowledge of CD and implications for acess to health care. We applied a structured questionnaire to a sample of 472 Bolivian adults (> 18 years) living in Sao Paulo and enrolled at the Barra Funda School Health Center. Participants’ median age was 28.5 years, 75.0% were from the Bolivian department of La Paz, and >90% worked in the garment industry. Respondents had lived in Sao Paulo for a median of 5.8 years. Only 169 (35.8%) were familiar with CD, while roughly half (50.4%) had lived in natural materials houses in Bolivia, 225 (47.7%) indicated familiarity with the vector, 23.9% had seen the vector in their homes in Bolivia, and 6.4% reported having been bitten by a triatomine bug. Factors associated with awareness of CD were analyzed by chi square tests, and those with p values

ABSTRACT Approximately 240 million people worldwide are infected by Schistosoma. In Brazil, one of the main intermediate hosts of this parasite is Biomphalaria glabrata snails. The early detection of larval stages in intermediate hosts is an important challenge to public health, but it also represents an opportunity as a new alternative to indicate earlier natural infections before cercariae differentiation and emergence. In this context, we demonstrated that PCR amplification of a 28S gene fragment from the parasite does demonstrate S. mansoni infection in snails 14 days post infection. This conventional polymerase chain reaction amplified clear bands and was able to detect parasitic infection in the intermediate host B. glabrata under experimental conditions. However, we reinforce that this approach requires deeper investigations and further comparisons to confirm its specificity and sensitivity in earlier time points after miracidia infection. This approach has relevant potential as an effective molecular-based strategy for the monitoring of schistosomiasis transmission.

OBJECTIVE: Schistosomiasis remains a public health problem. This was a descriptive and retrospective study of 42 patients with a severe form of schistosomiasis who were admitted to the outpatient clinic of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, in São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: A data collection questionnaire was designed from the patient charts, and the following variables were evaluated: age, sex, place of birth, occupation, signs and symptoms of schistosomiasis, data from laboratory and imaging examinations, data regarding treatment outcomes, and the existence of comorbidities. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 15.0 and Microsoft Excel 2003 software. The significance levels of the tests were fixed, accepting 5% type 1 error (α=0.05). Since this was a retrospective observational study, not all data were available for analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 48.24 years; 57.1% were male. Statistically significant associations were observed between splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia (p=0.004) and between splenomegaly and leukopenia (p=0.046); however, only 4.5% of the patients had esophageal hemorrhage. Some patients received a specific treatment; of those, 42% took praziquantel, and 35.4% took oxamniquine. Nonspecific drug therapy was given as follows: 65% received propranolol, 90% omeprazole, and 43.6% aluminum hydroxide. The other treatments were as follows: 92.9% of patients underwent endoscopic treatment, 85% received sclerotherapy, and 62.5% used elastic bandages. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study presents a multidisciplinary outpatient follow-up associated with endoscopic and drug treatments that may be effective at preventing bleeding.

SUMMARY Toxoplasmosis, a worldwide highly prevalent zoonotic infection, is transmitted either by the oocysts, from water and soil, or the tissue cysts, in raw or undercooked infected meat, of Toxoplasma gondii. An ongoing debate is whether there are differences between the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the outbreaks due to one or the other infective form of the agent. We performed a systematic review, recovering 437 reported outbreaks of which 38 were selected. They were complete reports containing ascribed Toxoplasma infecting form, and clinical and demographic data. There was no gender or age group selection in the outbreaks, which were described more often in the Americas. A large number of individuals were affected when oocysts, associated with soil and water contaminated with cat feces, were considered the transmission source. Onset of symptoms occurred early when the infection was ascribed to meat tissue cysts (11.4 ± 6.7 days) with sharpened temporal distribution of cases, while a broader and prolonged appearance of new cases was observed when oocysts in water were the source of the infection (20 ± 7 days, p < 0.001). Such information may be useful in the design and implementation of control strategies.

Health safety during trips is based on previous counseling, vaccination and prevention of infections, previous diseases or specific problems related to the destination. Our aim was to assess two aspects, incidence of health problems related to travel and the traveler's awareness of health safety. To this end we phone-interviewed faculty members of a large public University, randomly selected from humanities, engineering and health schools. Out of 520 attempts, we were able to contact 67 (12.9%) and 46 (68.6%) agreed to participate in the study. There was a large male proportion (37/44, 84.1%), mature adults mostly in their forties and fifties (32/44, 72.7%), all of them with higher education, as you would expect of faculty members. Most described themselves as being sedentary or as taking occasional exercise, with only 15.9% (7/44) taking regular exercise. Preexisting diseases were reported by 15 travelers. Most trips lasted usually one week or less. Duration of the travel was related to the destination, with (12h) or longer trips being taken by 68.2% (30/44) of travelers, and the others taking shorter (3h) domestic trips. Most travelling was made by air (41/44) and only 31.8% (14/44) of the trips were motivated by leisure. Field research trips were not reported. Specific health counseling previous to travel was reported only by two (4.5%). Twenty seven of them (61.4%) reported updated immunization, but 11/30 reported unchecked immunizations. 30% (9/30) reported travel without any health insurance coverage. As a whole group, 6 (13.6%) travelers reported at least one health problem attributed to the trip. All of them were males travelling abroad. Five presented respiratory infections, such as influenza and common cold, one neurological, one orthopedic, one social and one hypertension. There were no gender differences regarding age groups, destination, type of transport, previous health counseling, leisure travel motivation or pre-existing diseases. Interestingly, the two cases of previous health counseling were made by domestic travelers. Our data clearly shows that despite a significant number of travel related health problems, these highly educated faculty members, had a low awareness of those risks, and a significant number of travels are made without prior counseling or health insurance. A counseling program conducted by a tourism and health professional must be implemented for faculty members in order to increase the awareness of travel related health problems.A segurança sanitária em viagens é baseada no aconselhamento, vacinação e orientação do viajante para a prevenção de doenças em viagens, genéricas ou específicas de seu destino. Visando avaliar a preocupação, providências preventivas e problemas relativos à saúde e à prevenção de doenças, entrevistamos professores universitários de uma grande universidade pública, distribuídos aleatoriamente entre as áreas de Exatas, Humanidades e da Saúde, selecionados por interesse e por relato de problemas de saúde em viagens no ano antecedente à pesquisa. Após amostragem e sorteio, foram tentadas 520 entrevistas por telefone, sendo encontrados 67 (12,9%) docentes e 46 (68,6%) concordaram com a entrevista, sendo que dois foram excluídos por ausência de viagem no ultimo ano. Esta amostragem tinha predominância de homens (37/44, 84,1%), entre os 40 e 50 anos de idade (32/44, 72,7%) todos com educação superior como esperado. A maioria era sedentária ou referia exercício ocasional, com apenas 15,9% (7/44) informando exercício regular. Doenças pré-existentes foram referidas por 15 viajantes. A maioria das viagens durou uma semana ou menos no destino. A duração da viagem estava relacionada ao destino sendo que viagens com mais de 12 h eram sempre relacionadas a destinos no exterior, 68,2% (30/44) das viagens, sendo mais rápidas (< 3h ) as viagens domésticas. A maioria das viagens foi aérea (41/44) e o lazer motivou 31,8% (14/44) delas. Aconselhamento de saúde anterior à viagem foi descrito apenas por 2 (4,5%) e a maioria (61,4% ou 27/44) referia vacinação embora 11/30 apenas descrevia vacinação não atualizada. 30% (9/30) viajaram sem nenhum tipo de seguro de saúde. Como um grupo total, seis homens (13,6%) viajando ao exterior apresentaram pelo menos um problema de saúde atribuído à viagem. Cinco apresentaram problemas respiratórios, como influenza ou resfriado, sendo que ocorreram problemas neurológicos, ortopédicos, de hipertensão em viajantes isolados, com um caso de problema de crime. Não houve diferenças quanto ao gênero ou grupo etário, destinos ou tipo de transporte, aconselhamento prévio, motivação da viagem, ou doenças preexistentes. É interessante notar que os dois aconselhamentos prévios foram feitos apenas para viagens de destinos nacionais. Nossos dados mostram que há problemas de saúde em viagens em um número significante de viajantes altamente educados, apesar da pequena amostra, e eles têm despreocupação com saúde, com número significante de viagens sem aconselhamento prévio ou seguro de saúde. Sugere-se a implantação de um programa de aconselhamento para segurança quanto aos problemas de saúde em viagens.

Resumo: O objetivo deste estudo foi o de descrever, com base no relacionamento entre os sistemas de informação SINAN (Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação) e SIM (Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade), o perfil epidemiológico dos casos notificados de influenza por novo subtipo viral que evoluíram para óbito, durante a pandemia da doença. Foram utilizados dados secundários de ambos os sistemas referentes aos anos de 2009 e 2010. O relacionamento identificou 5.973 óbitos de casos notificados como influenza pandêmica. Destes, 2.170 (36,33%) haviam sido classificados no SINAN como confirmados para a enfermidade; 215 (3,6%), como infecção por outro agente infeccioso; e 3.340 (55,92%), como descartados. Após o relacionamento, alguns casos, que, no SINAN, foram encerrados com evolução para óbito por influenza (n = 658) ou óbito por outras causas (n = 847), não foram encontrados no SIM. O relacionamento entre os bancos de dados pode aprimorar o sistema de vigilância e o dimensionamento da morbimortalidade. Recomendamos o fortalecimento da vigilância da influenza no país com o uso do relacionamento entre os sistemas de informação do Ministério da Saúde.

Foodborne diseases represent operational risks in industrial restaurants. We described an outbreak of nine clustered cases of acute illness resembling acute toxoplasmosis in an industrial plant with 2300 employees. These patients and another 36 similar asymptomatic employees were diagnosed with anti-T. gondii IgG titer and avidity by ELISA. We excluded 14 patients based on high IgG avidity and chronic toxoplasmosis: 13 from controls and one from acute disease other than T. gondii infection. We also identified another three asymptomatic employees with T.gondii acute infection and also anti-T. gondii IgM positive as remaining acute cases. Case control study was conducted by interview in 11 acute infections and 20 negative controls. The ingestion of green vegetables, but not meat or water, was observed to be associated with the incidence of acute disease. These data reinforce the importance of sanitation control in industrial restaurants and also demonstrate the need for improvement in quality control regarding vegetables at risk for T. gondii oocyst contamination. We emphasized the accurate diagnosis of indexed cases and the detection of asymptomatic infections to determine the extent of the toxoplasmosis outbreak.

INTRODUÇÃO: Com o avanço no controle da transmissão vetorial e por transfusão sanguínea da doença de Chagas, as formas alternativas de transmissão ganharam relevância. Este artigo de opinião discute a importância de cada uma dessas modalidades e as medidas para sua prevenção. MÉTODOS: Foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre os mecanismos de transmissão do Trypanosoma cruzi através de modalidades alternativas, vigentes no Brasil, e as possibilidades de sua prevenção. Foram consultadas as bases de dados PubMed e BVS. RESULTADOS: Foram identificadas 25 publicações que discutiam as modalidades alternativas de transmissão da doença de Chagas. CONCLUSÕES: A transmissão oral, pela ingestão de alimentos contaminados, tem sido o modo de transmissão predominante no Brasil nos últimos anos. Os demais modos alternativos de transmissão são de ocorrência menos frequente. É importante conhecer essas ocorrências, sobretudo agora que a veiculação vetorial do parasita está controlada. Conforme os conhecimentos atuais foram apresentadas medidas preventivas, de acordo com cada uma das situações consideradas.

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a imunogenicidade e segurança da vacina contra hepatite B, após o aumento na concentração do antígeno HBsAg para 25 μg, em comparação à vacina de referência. MÉTODOS: Ensaio com alocação aleatória e mascaramento simples, comparando a VrHB-IB (Instituto Butantan) com a vacina de referência (Engerix B®, Glaxo Smith Kline). Os voluntários, entre 31 e 40 anos de idade (n=419), foram alocados aleatoriamente ao grupo experimental (n=216) ou ao grupo controle (n=203), e receberam três doses de vacina. A primeira dose foi administrada no momento do recrutamento, a segunda e terceira 30 e 180 dias depois respectivamente, entre 2004 e 2005. Amostras de sangue foram colhidas para análise sorológica antes da randomização, e após a segunda e terceira doses. Foi realizada a vigilância ativa de eventos adversos durante os cinco primeiros dias após a vacinação. As diferenças foram avaliadas pelos testes do qui-quadrado e exato de Fisher, com nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: Não se observaram eventos adversos graves. A soroporteção foi confirmada em 98,6% (213/216) dos voluntários do grupo experimental, em comparação a 95,6% (194/203) do grupo controle. Os títulos geométricos médios foram de 12.557 e 11.673, respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: A vacina brasileira foi considerada equivalente à vacina de referência e seu uso recomendado para adultos.OBJETIVO: Evaluar la inmunogenicidad y seguridad de la vacuna contra hepatitis B, posterior al aumento en la concentración del antígeno HBsAg para 25mg, en comparación a la vacuna de referencia. MÉTODOS: Ensayo con distribución aleatoria y enmascaramiento simple, comparando la VrHB-IB (Instituto Butantan) con la vacuna de referencia (Engerix BÒ, Glaxo Smith Kline). Los voluntarios, entre 31 y 40 años de edad (n=419), fueron distribuidos aleatoriamente en el grupo experimental (n=216) o en el grupo control (n=203), y recibieron tres dosis de la vacuna. La primera dosis fue administrada en el momento del reclutamiento, la segunda y tercera 30 y 180 días después respectivamente, entre 2004 y 2005. Muestras de sangre fueron colectadas para análisis sexológico antes de la aleatorización, y posterior a la segunda y tercera dosis. Fue realizada la vigilancia activa de eventos adversos durante los cinco primero días posterior a la vacunación. Las diferencias fueron evaluadas por las pruebas de chi-cuadrado y exacto de Fisher, con nivel de significancia de 5%. RESULTADOS: No se observaron eventos adversos graves. La seroprotección fue confirmada en 98,6% (213/216) de los voluntarios del grupo experimental, en comparación a 95,6% (194/203) del grupo control. Los títulos geométricos promedios fueron de 12.557 y 11.673, respectivamente. CONCLUSIONES: La vacuna brasilera fue considerada equivalente a la vacuna de referencia y su uso recomendado para adultos.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of a novel hepatitis B vaccine, after increasing antigen concentration to 25 μg, in comparison to the reference vaccine. METHODS: Single-blinded randomized trial comparing VrHB-IB (Instituto Butantan) and the reference vaccine (Engerix B®, Glaxo Smith Kline). Volunteers aged 31 to 40 years were randomized to either experimental (n=216) or control (n=203) groups, and were given three doses of vaccine. The first dose was administered upon recruitment, and the second and third doses 30 and 180 days later, respectively, between 2004 and 2005. Blood samples were collected for analysis before randomization and after the second and third doses. Active search for adverse effects was perforned in the first five days after vaccination. Differences were evaluated using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, with a 5% significance level. RESULTS: No severe adverse effects were observed. Seroprotection was confirmed in 98.6% (213/216) of volunteers in the experimental group and 95.6% (194/203) of those in the control group. Geometric mean titers were 12,557 and 11,673, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian vaccine was considered to be equivalent to the reference vaccine and its use is recommended for adults.

OBJETIVO: Analisar a eficácia e segurança de vacina recombinante contra hepatite B em recém-nascidos. MÉTODOS: O estudo foi conduzido em hospital geral do município de Guarulhos, SP, entre 2002 e 2005. A vacina recombinante contra hepatite B do Instituto Butantan (VrHB-IB) foi analisada em dois ensaios clínicos. Em ambos os ensaios, os recém-nascidos foram alocados aleatoriamente ao grupo experimental ou controle (vacina de referência). Os recém-nascidos receberam três doses das vacinas, uma em até 24 h após o nascimento e as subseqüentes 30 e 180 dias após. No primeiro ensaio 538 recém-nascidos completaram o protocolo e no segundo ensaio, 486. Considerou-se critério de equivalência a diferença na soroproteção inferior a 5%. RESULTADOS: A soroproteção no primeiro ensaio (anti HBs > 10mUI/ml) foi de 92,5% (247/267) no grupo experimental, comparada a 98,5% (267/271) no grupo controle (p = 0,001). Com este resultado, a VrHB-IB não atingiu o critério de equivalência estabelecido. Após o aumento da concentração de antígeno na vacina para 25¼g, a soroproteção no segundo ensaio foi de 100% no grupo experimental e 99,2% no grupo controle. Nenhum evento adverso grave foi registrado. CONCLUSÕES: A vacina VrHB-IB modificada foi considerada equivalente à vacina de referência e seu uso recomendado à vacinação de recém-nascidos.OBJETIVO: Analizar la eficiencia y seguridad de vacuna recombinante contra hepatitis B en recién-nacidos. MÉTODOS: El estudio fue conducido en hospital general del municipio de Guarulhos, Sureste de Brasil, entre 2002 y 2005. La vacuna recombinante contra hepatitis B del Instituto Butantan (VrHB-IB) fue analizada en dos ensayos clínicos. En ambos ensayos, los recién-nacidos fueron distribuidos aleatoriamente en el grupo experimental o control (vacuna de referencia). Los recién-nacidos recibieron tres dosis de las vacunas, una en máximo 24 h posterior al nacimiento y las subsecuentes 30 y 180 días posteriores. En el primer ensayo 538 recién-nacidos completaron el protocolo y en el segundo ensayo, 486. Se consideró criterio de equivalencia la diferencia en la seroprotección inferior a 5%. RESULTADOS: La seroprotección en el primer ensayo (anti HBs ³ 10mUI/mL) fue de 92,5% (247/267) en el grupo experimental, comparada con 98,5% (267/271) en el grupo control (p=0,001). Con este resultado, la VrHB-IB no alcanzó el criterio de equivalencia establecido. Posterior al aumento de la concentración del antígeno en la vacuna a 25mg, la seroprotección en el segundo ensayo fue de 100% en el grupo experimental y 99,2% en el grupo control. Ningún evento adverso grave fue registrado. CONCLUSIONES: La vacuna VrHB-IB modificada fue considerada equivalente a la vacuna de referencia y su uso recomendado en la vacunación de recién-nacidos.OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy and safety of a recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine in newborns. METHODS: The study was carried out in a general hospital in the city of Guarulhos, Southeastern Brazil, between 2002 and 2005. The recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine from Instituto Butantan (VrHB-IB) was tested in two clinical trials. In both trials, newborns were randomly allocated to the experimental or control (reference vaccine) groups. Newborns were given three doses of vaccine, one up to 24 hours after birth and the other two 30 and 180 days later. In the first trial, 538 newborns completed the immunization protocol, and 486 in the second. Vaccines were considered equivalent when seroprotection difference was below 5%. RESULTS: Seroprotection in the first trial (anti-HBs > 10mUI/ml) was 92.5% (247/267) in the experimental group, compared to 98.5% (267/271) in the control (p = 0.001). With this result, VrHB-IB did not fulfill the pre-established criterion for equivalence. After increasing the concentration of antigen in the vaccine to 25¼g, seroprotection reached 100% in the experimental group and 99.2% in the control. No severe adverse effects were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: The reformulated VrHB-IB is considered equivalent to the reference vaccine, and its use is recommended in newborns.

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the clinical aspects of cases of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in Brazil. Methods: A descriptive study of cases reported in Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), 2009-2010. Results: As the final classification, we obtained 53,797 (56.79%) reported cases confirmed as a new influenza virus subtype, and 40,926 (43.21%) cases discarded. Fever was the most common sign, recorded in 99.74% of the confirmed and 98.92% of the discarded cases. Among the confirmed cases, the presence of comorbidities was reported in 32.53%, and in 38.29% of the discarded cases. The case fatality rate was 4.04%; 3,267 pregnant women were confirmed positive for influenza A new viral subtype and 2,730 of them were cured. The case fatality rate of pregnant women was 6.88%. Conclusion: The findings suggested concern of the health system with pregnant women, and patients with comorbidities and quality of care may have favored a lower mortality. We recommend that, when caring for patients with severe respiratory symptoms, with comorbidities, or pregnant women, health professionals should consider the need for hospital care, as these factors make up a worse prognosis of infection by the pandemic influenza virus.

OBJETIVO: avaliar efetividade e segurança da estratégia brasileira de vacinação contra influenza. MÉTODOS: revisão sistemática da literatura. Foram usadas as palavras-chave influenza, Brasil, vacina, cobertura vacinal, efetividade e evento adverso na busca às seguintes bases de dados: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, US National Library of Medicine, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências Sociais, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Scientific Electronic Library Online e Google Scholar, no período 1999 a 2013. RESULTADOS: 784 publicações foram identificadas nas bases de dados, das quais 73 atenderam aos critérios de inclusão. As coberturas vacinais foram elevadas, porém menores que aquelas registradas no sistema de informações. Os estudos ecológicos de mortalidade e hospitalizações apresentaram resultados conflitantes: redução dos indicadores (16 artigos) e aumento (4 artigos) após introdução da vacinação. CONCLUSÃO: os estudos sugerem que a vacina é segura e efetiva, todavia a redução na mortalidade e hospitalizações por causas relacionadas à influenza foi modesta.

Resumo OBJETIVO: descrever a classificação de risco de doenças imunopreveníveis nos municípios brasileiros. MÉTODOS: estudo epidemiológico descritivo com dados do Sistema de Informações do Programa Nacional de Imunizações (SI-PNI) para 2014; os indicadores de coberturas vacinais foram utilizados para classificar o risco de transmissão de doenças imunopreveníveis nos municípios. RESULTADOS: dos 5.570 municípios brasileiros, 12,0% foram classificados como de risco muito baixo, 29,6% de risco baixo, 2,2% de risco médio, 54,3% de risco alto e 1,8% de risco muito alto. Conclusão: a vigilância das coberturas vacinais permitiu identificar a maioria dos municípios em situação de alto risco e a minoria das crianças vivendo em municípios com cobertura adequada; a vigilância das coberturas utilizando indicadores pactuados no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) oferece nova ferramenta para identificação de áreas prioritárias, onde as ações poderão ter maiores chances de acerto pelos gestores e melhorar a qualidade e o sucesso do PNI.

As doenças tropicais negligenciadas constituem um grupo heterogêneo de enfermidades que apresentam como característica comum afetarem populações pobres e desassistidas, com pouca capacidade de vocalização e de poder político. Em consequência, recebem pouca atenção da indústria farmacêutica e da academia. O presente estudo teve como propósito resumir o estado da arte quanto ao desenvolvimento de vacinas para três doenças tropicais negligenciadas de relevância no Brasil, a doença de Chagas, a esquistossomose mansoni e as leishmanioses. Para tanto, realizou-se uma revisão narrativa da literatura científica, na qual foram incluídas publicações que permitiram traçar um panorama atual do desenvolvimento de vacinas para as três doenças. Essas vacinas estão em estágios distintos de desenvolvimento. Os projetos de desenvolvimento de vacinas contra a tripanossomíase americana ainda não chegaram à fase clínica de avaliação. Já para a esquistossomose há candidatos à vacina em fase avançada de avaliação clínica. Para as leishmanioses já existem vacinas veterinárias licenciadas e produtos candidatos à vacina humana em etapa intermediária de avaliação clínica. O reduzido financiamento para esses projetos tem contribuído para retardar o desenvolvimento dos produtos.

SUMMARY Influenza A viruses undergo frequent antigenic mutations and may thus cause seasonal epidemics and pandemics. The aim of this study was to recover the epidemiological history of the pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in Brazil. A descriptive study was conducted in 2009-2010. The Brazilian Information System for reportable diseases (SINAN) was the data source. A total of 105,054 suspected cases of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 were reported to SINAN. Of these, 53,797 (51.2%) were classified as the new influenza virus subtype. Among the confirmed cases, 56.7% were female, the mean age was 26.31 (SD ± 18.1) years. Fever was the most common sign among the confirmed cases (99.7%) and the presence of comorbidities was reported in 32.5% of cases. In 2009 there were confirmed cases in all 26 Brazilian States and the Federal District. The incidence (per 100,000 inhabitants) of severe influenza in the population was 28.0 in 2009 and 0.5 in 2010. The states of Paraná (301.3), Santa Catarina (36.0) and Rio Grande do Sul (27.4) presented the highest incidence; 46.4% of the confirmed cases were hospitalized and 47,643 were cured (93.8%). The case-fatality rate was 3.9% in 2009. The pandemic virus A(H1N1)pdm09 hit Brazil between April/2009 and December/2010 with an important difference in the geographic pattern distribution of the cases from the northeast to the south of the country. Children and young adults were the most affected. The limitations of the study were data quality and inconsistencies in the final classification of cases in SINAN. This study highlights the urgent need for improvements in the surveillance of emerging diseases in Brazil.