Evolução temporal e fatores climáticos relacionados à leishmaniose visceral em municípios endêmicos brasileiros no período de 2001 a 2008

Abstract

This is a mixed ecological study where the distribution profile of rainfall and temperature variations were related to seasonal variation in the rate of incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in twenty highly endemic municipalities in the period from 2001 to 2008. The purpose was to identify similarities and differences between the municipalities studied concerning disease trends and seasonal patterns and regarding the potential relationships between climatic variations and the seasonal distribution of the disease. Incidence data on visceral leishmaniasis were obtained from the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificaçao (Sinan), demographic data were obtained from the Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (DATASUS), the temperature and rainfall data were obtained from agrometeorological monitoring system of the Ministry of Agriculture (AGRITEMPO). The results are presented graphically and show that the seasonal distribution of the incidence and probable transmission periods are different in several municipalities and accompanying climatic differences, suggesting that interventions aimed at reducing the incidence must be punctual, according to the characteristics of each municipality.