EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF SYPHILIS OCCURRENCES IN NOVO CRUZEIRO-MG– 2010 TO 2019

Abstract

Syphilis is an infectious disease, caused by the Treponema pallidum bacteria. It is sexually, congenitally, and less often indirectly transmitted by contact with contaminated objects or by blood transfusion. The diagnosis is done by nontreponemal or treponemal tests, depending on the stage of the disease. It is an illness with an easy, efficient and effective treatment, notwithstanding the high rates of incidence, thus presently posing a serious challenge to public healthcare in Brazil. In the brazilian county of Novo Cruzeiro, an increase in incidence has been observed. As to what concerns the epidemiological data denouncing the sharp rise of syphilis notifications, it is fundamental to detect the most afflicted areas and to identify the hurdles that compromise the control of the disease locally, so that certain measures may be adopted to reduce those infections and to propose effective ways to positively intervene. Within this context, this research aims to quantify the incidence and prevalence of syphilis in the Novo Cruzeiro county of the state of Minas Gerais, between 2010 and 2019, based on data collected by the 'Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação' institution. It is a descriptive research, with a quantitative approach and retrospective gathering of information in secondary sources: Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), excluding all duplicate entries and and those by non residents that were notified in the Novo Cruzeiro county, inserted in the 'Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimento de Saúde – CNES number 6535488' and 'Código do IBGE 3145307'. The study showed that 39 syphilis cases were notified between 2010 and 2019, with a rising tendency between 2015 and 2017, corroborating with the national infection findings. The year of 2017 showed the highest amount of notifications, with 48% of all cases. The majority of those infected were of the male gender (66,6%). Regarding the infected pregnant women of the county, a rather late diagnosis is performed during the delivery or curettage or after the birth of the child (in the years of 2015, 2016 and 2017), clearly indicating that there is a deficiency in prenatal assistance. Only in 2018 were all congenital syphilis cases diagnosed during the prenatal stage in all cases. Through this paper we came to the understanding that preventive solutions have to be found to reduce the frequency of syphilis cases in the region.