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RESUMO Este artigo teve por objetivos contextualizar os impactos das inundações na saúde e analisar relatórios do Centro de Operações de Emergência em Saúde, mobilizados pelo Ministério da Saúde (MS), para monitoramento federal desses eventos no Brasil, de 2004 a 2017. Para isso, foi realizado levantamento bibliográfico e documental, incluindo relatórios do MS sobre inundações, e feita análise de dados do Sistema Integrado de Informações sobre Desastres, da Defesa Civil, no referido período. Verificou-se que as inundações atingiram todas as regiões brasileiras, com eventos críticos em 2004, 2009, 2010 e 2011. O MS atuou em nove ocorrências, e essa experiência subsidiou o estabelecimento da estratégia de preparação e resposta, incluindo Comitês de Saúde em Desastres, documentos e normativas para orientar a atividade do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) na atuação em desastres hidrológicos. Inundações de grande magnitude exigem resposta rápida, e isso prescinde de preparação prévia. O MS avançou nas articulações intersetoriais e interinstitucionais, no entanto, dotar o SUS municipal da capacidade necessária para atuação oportuna apresenta-se ainda como um desafio a ser superado. ABSTRACT The objective of this article is to contextualize the impacts of floods on health and to analyze reports from the Emergency Health Operations Center, mobilized by the Ministry of Health (MS), for the federal monitoring of these events in Brazil, between 2004 and 2017. For such, a bibliographical and documentary survey was carried out, including MS reports on floods and data analysis of the Integrated Disaster Information System, from the Civil Defense, from 2004 to 2017. It was verified that floods reached all Brazilian regions, with critical events in 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The MS worked in nine occurrences and this experience subsidized the establishment of the preparedness and response strategy, including Health in Disaster Committees, documents, and regulations to guide the SUS’s (Unified Health System) action in hydrological disasters. Floods of great magnitude require rapid response and this does not require prior preparation. The MS has advanced in inter-sectorial and interinstitutional articulations, however, providing the municipal SUS with the necessary capacity for timely action is still a challenge to be overcome.

Low quality drinking water has been directly correlated to the occurrence of waterborne illnesses in northern Brazil. To minimize health risks related to the water supply, the Ministry of Health has proposed the implementation of the National Program for the Surveillance of Drinking Water Quality (VIGIAGUA) in Brazilian municipalities. Focusing on the Legal Amazon region, the present study demonstrates a historical account of the percentage of municipalities included in the VIGIAGUA program in place, which in 2013 reached 45.1% of the region municipalities. This study also identifies vulnerable areas in terms of the water quality in the states of Amapá, Amazonas and Maranhão. With this analysis of the current status of the drinking water supply, this study intends to support and direct the strategic efforts of environmental health monitoring in the region. Resumo A baixa qualidade da água para consumo humano está diretamente relacionada à ocorrência de doenças de transmissão hídrica. Para minimizar riscos à saúde e vulnerabilidades relacionadas ao abastecimento de água, o Ministério da Saúde propõe a implantação do Programa Nacional de Vigilância da Qualidade da Água para Consumo Humano (Vigiagua) aos municípios brasileiros. Focando na região da Amazônia Legal, o presente estudo demonstra uma série histórica do percentual de municípios com o programa Vigiagua implantado, atingindo em 2013 a marca de 45,1% dos municípios dessa região. O estudo ainda identifica áreas muito vulneráveis nos estados do Amapá, Amazonas e Maranhão para a questão da qualidade da água. Com esta análise da situação do abastecimento de água para consumo humano pretende-se subsidiar e direcionar as ações estratégicas da vigilância em saúde ambiental na região.

Water is essential for the socio-economic development of a region and also for the survival of human beings. Water scarcity has direct and indirect impacts on the environment, the economy and human health. It can change the profile of morbidity and mortality of diseases, as well as having an impact on the supply of services that are essential public to the quality of life. This study aims to contextualize the occurrence of drought in Brazil, its effects on human health, as well as actions to be developed by the health sector to reduce the risk to those living in affected areas, with an emphasis on the monitoring of the quality of drinking water. This is a descriptive, qualitative study with a documental basis. The documents that were researched were related to initiatives by the Health Surveillance Secretariat of the Ministry of Health up until 2014. It is necessary to strengthen the performance capacity of the Unified Health System (SUS) in order to develop timely responses to reduce the risk to public health.