Advancing arbovirus diagnosis in Brazil: strengthening diagnostic strategies and public health data collection.

BACKGROUND: The last five decades have seen a surge in viral outbreaks, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions like Brazil, where endemic arboviruses such as Dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), and Chikungunya (CHIKV) pose significant threats. However, current diagnostic strategies exhibit limitations, leading to gaps in infection screening, arbovirus differential diagnoses, DENV serotyping, and life-long infection tracking. This deficiency impedes critical information availability regarding an individual's current infection and past infection history, disease risk assessment, vaccination needs, and policy formulation. Additionally, the availability of point-of-care diagnostics and knowledge regarding immune profiles at the time of infection are crucial considerations. OBJECTIVES: This review underscores the urgent need to strengthen diagnostic methods for arboviruses in Brazil and emphasizes the importance of data collection to inform public health policies for improved diagnostics, surveillance, and policy formulation. METHODS: We evaluated the diagnostic landscape for arboviral infections in Brazil, focusing on tailored, validated methods. We assessed diagnostic methods available for sensitivity and specificity metrics in the context of Brazil. RESULTS: Our review identifies high-sensitivity, high-specificity diagnostic methods for arboviruses and co-infections. Grifols transcription-mediated amplification assays are recommended for DENV, CHIKV, and ZIKV screening, while IgG/IgM ELISA assays outperform Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs). The Triplex real-time RT-PCR assay is recommended for molecular screening due to its sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: Enhanced diagnostic methods, on-going screening, and tracking are urgently needed in Brazil to capture the complex landscape of arboviral infections in the country. Recommendations include nationwide arbovirus differential diagnosis for DENV, ZIKV, and CHIKV, along with increased DENV serotyping, and lifelong infection tracking to combat enduring viral threats and reduce severe presentations.

Usefulness of minimally invasive autopsy in the diagnosis of arboviruses to increase the sensitivity of the Epidemiological Surveillance System in Ceará, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To create a protocol for performing minimally invasive autopsies (MIA) in detecting deaths from arboviruses and report preliminary data from its application in Ceará state, Brazil. METHODS: Training was provided to medical pathologists on MIA. RESULTS: A protocol was established for performing MIA, defining criteria for sample collection, storage methods, and diagnoses to be carried out according to the type of biological sample; 43 MIAs were performed in three months. Of these, 21 (48.8%) arrived at the Death Verification Service (SVO) with arboviruses as a diagnostic hypothesis, and seven (16.3%) were confirmed (six chikungunya cases and one dengue case); cases of COVID-19 (n = 9), tuberculosis (n = 5), meningitis (n = 4), cryptococcosis (n = 1), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (n = 1), breast cancer (n = 1), and human rabies (n = 1) were also confirmed. CONCLUSION: The protocol implemented enabled identification of a larger number of suspected arbovirus-related deaths, as well as confirmation of other diseases of interest for surveillance. MAIN RESULTS: A protocol was developed to perform minimally invasive autopsies (MIAs) in Death Verification Services (SVO), capable of expanding the system's capacity to identify a greater number of deaths suspected to be due to arboviruses. IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVICES: The experience suggests that in-service trained health professionals are able to perform MIA, and that use of this technique in SVOs has been shown to be capable of increasing the system's sensitivity in detecting deaths of interest to public health. PERSPECTIVES: Trained professionals will be able to collect biological material in hospitals, through MIA, in cases of interest for health surveillance and when family members do not allow a complete conventional autopsy to be performed.

Boletim epidemiológico: monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses em Goiás da semana epidemiológica 01 a 14 de 2024 / Monitoring of arbovirus cases in Goiás from epidemiological week 01 to 14 of 2024

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. O boletim epidemiológico das arboviroses tem o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, utilizando como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Também são apresentados dados relativos à síndrome congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) - Microcefalias

Arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. The arbovirus epidemiological bulletin aims to present the epidemiological situation of cases in the state, using records of suspected and confirmed cases as a data source. occurred in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. Data relating to congenital syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection are also presented, available on the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) - Microcephalies

Monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses no Estado de Goiás da semana epidemiológica 01 a 06 de 2024 / Monitoring of arbovirus cases in Goiás in epidemiological week of 06 at 24 de 2024

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. O boletim epidemiológico das arboviroses tem o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, utilizando como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Também são apresentados dados relativos à síndrome congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) - Microcefalias

Arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. The arbovirus epidemiological bulletin aims to present the epidemiological situation of cases in the state, using records of suspected and confirmed cases as a data source. occurred in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. Data relating to congenital syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection are also presented, available on the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) - Microcephalies

Boletim epidemiológico: monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses em Goiás da semana epidemiológica de 01 a 50 de 2023 / Epidemiological bulletin: monitoring of arbovirus cases in Goiás from epidemiological week 01 to 50 of 2023

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. O boletim epidemiológico das arboviroses tem o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, utilizando como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Também são apresentados dados relativos à síndrome congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) - Microcefalias

Arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. The arbovirus epidemiological bulletin aims to present the epidemiological situation of cases in the state, using records of suspected and confirmed cases as a data source. occurred in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. Data relating to congenital syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection are also presented, available on the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) - Microcephalies

Boletim epidemiológico: monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses em Goiás da semana epidemiológica 01 a 44 de 2023 / Epidemiological bulletin: monitoring of arbovirus cases in Goiás from epidemiological week 01 to 44 of 2023

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. O boletim epidemiológico das arboviroses tem o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, utilizando como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Também são apresentados dados relativos à síndrome congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) - Microcefalias

Arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. The arbovirus epidemiological bulletin aims to present the epidemiological situation of cases in the state, using records of suspected and confirmed cases as a data source. occurred in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. Data relating to congenital syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection are also presented, available on the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) - Microcephalies

The increasing complexity of arbovirus serology: An in-depth systematic review on cross-reactivity.

Diagnosis of arbovirus infection or exposure by antibody testing is becoming increasingly difficult due to global expansion of arboviruses, which induce antibodies that may (cross-)react in serological assays. We provide a systematic review of the current knowledge and knowledge gaps in differential arbovirus serology. The search included Medline, Embase and Web of Science databases and identified 911 publications which were reduced to 102 after exclusion of studies not providing data on possible cross-reactivity or studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria regarding confirmation of virus exposure of reference population sets. Using a scoring system to further assess quality of studies, we show that the majority of the selected papers (N = 102) provides insufficient detail to support conclusions on specificity of serological outcomes with regards to elucidating antibody cross-reactivity. Along with the lack of standardization of assays, metadata such as time of illness onset, vaccination, infection and travel history, age and specificity of serological methods were most frequently missing. Given the critical role of serology for diagnosis and surveillance of arbovirus infections, better standards for reporting, as well as the development of more (standardized) specific serological assays that allow discrimination between exposures to multiple different arboviruses, are a large global unmet need.

A modified BG-Sentinel trap equipped with FTA card as a novel tool for mosquito-borne disease surveillance: a field test for flavivirus detection.

Early detection of pathogens in vectors is important in preventing the spread of arboviral diseases, providing a timely indicator of pathogen circulation before outbreaks occur. However, entomological surveillance may face logistical constraints, such as maintaining the cold chain, and resource limitations, such as the field and laboratory workload of mosquito processing. We propose an FTA card-based trapping system that aims to simplify both field and laboratory phases of arbovirus surveillance. We modified a BG-Sentinel trap to include a mosquito collection chamber and a sugar feeding source through an FTA card soaked in a long-lasting viscous solution of honey and hydroxy-cellulose hydrogel. The FTA card ensures environmental preservation of nucleic acids, allowing continuous collection and feeding activity of specimens for several days and reducing the effort required for viral detection. We tested the trap prototype during two field seasons (2019 and 2021) in North-eastern Italy and compared it to CDC-CO2 trapping applied in West Nile and Usutu virus regional surveillance. Collections by the BG-FTA approach detected high species diversity, including Culex pipiens, Aedes albopictus, Culex modestus, Anopheles maculipennis sensu lato and Ochlerotatus caspius. When used for two-days sampling, the BG-FTA trap performed equally to CDC also for the WNV-major vector Cx. pipiens. The FTA cards detected both WNV and USUV, confirming the reliability of this novel approach to detect viral circulation in infectious mosquitoes. We recommend this surveillance approach as a particularly useful alternative in multi-target surveillance, for sampling in remote areas and in contexts characterized by high mosquito densities and diversity.

Boletim epidemiológico: monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses em Goiás da semana epidemiológica 01 a 34 de 2023 / Epidemiological bulletin: monitoring of arbovirus cases in Goiás from epidemiological week 01 to 34 of 2023

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. O boletim epidemiológico das arboviroses tem o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, utilizando como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Também são apresentados dados relativos à síndrome congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) - Microcefalias

Arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. The arbovirus epidemiological bulletin aims to present the epidemiological situation of cases in the state, using records of suspected and confirmed cases as a data source. occurred in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. Data relating to congenital syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection are also presented, available on the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) - Microcephalias

Review on Main Arboviruses Circulating on French Guiana, An Ultra-Peripheric European Region in South America.

French Guiana (FG), a French overseas territory in South America, is susceptible to tropical diseases, including arboviruses. The tropical climate supports the proliferation and establishment of vectors, making it difficult to control transmission. In the last ten years, FG has experienced large outbreaks of imported arboviruses such as Chikungunya and Zika, as well as endemic arboviruses such as dengue, Yellow fever, and Oropouche virus. Epidemiological surveillance is challenging due to the differing distributions and behaviors of vectors. This article aims to summarize the current knowledge of these arboviruses in FG and discuss the challenges of arbovirus emergence and reemergence. Effective control measures are hampered by the nonspecific clinical presentation of these diseases, as well as the Aedes aegypti mosquito's resistance to insecticides. Despite the high seroprevalence of certain viruses, the possibility of new epidemics cannot be ruled out. Therefore, active epidemiological surveillance is needed to identify potential outbreaks, and an adequate sentinel surveillance system and broad virological diagnostic panel are being developed in FG to improve disease management.

Boletim epidemiológico: monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses em Goiás da semana epidemiológica 01 a 25 de 2023 / Epidemiological bulletin: monitoring of cases of arboviruses in Goiás from the epidemiological week 01 to 25 of 2023

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. O boletim epidemiológico das arboviroses tem o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, utilizando como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Também é apresentado dados relativos à síndrome congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) - Microcefalias

Arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. The epidemiological bulletin of arboviruses aims to present the epidemiological situation of cases in the state, using as a data source the records of suspected and confirmed cases that occurred in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. It also presents data related to the congenital syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection, available in the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) - Microcephaly

Boletim epidemiológico: monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses em Goiás da semana epidemiológica 01 a 18 de 2023 / Epidemiological bulletin: monitoring of cases of arboviruses in Goiás from the epidemiological week 01 to 18 of 2023

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. O boletim epidemiológico das arboviroses tem o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, e utiliza como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Também é apresentado dados relativos à Síndrome Congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) ­ Microcefalias

Arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. The epidemiological bulletin of arboviruses aims to present the epidemiological situation of cases in the state, and uses as a data source the records of suspected and confirmed cases that occurred in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. It also presents data related to Congenital Syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection, available in the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) ­ Microcephaly

Boletim epidemiológico: monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses em Goiás da semana epidemiológica 01 de 2022 até a semana epidemiológica 14 de 2023 / Epidemiological bulletin: monitoring of cases of arboviruses in Goiás from epidemiological week 01 of 2022 to epidemiological week 14 of 2023

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. Este boletim uma produção mensal, com o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, utilizando como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Adicionalmente, também é apresentado dados relativos à Síndrome Congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) ­ Microcefalias

The arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. This bulletin is a monthly production, with the objective of presenting the epidemiological situation of the cases in the state, using as a source of data the records of suspected cases and confirmed occurrences in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. In addition, data on the Congenital Syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection are also presented, available on the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) ­ Microcephaly

Dengue, chikungunya and zika arbovirus infections in Caribbean children.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Dengue, chikungunya and zika have caused significant epidemics in the Caribbean in recent years. This review highlights their impact in Caribbean children. RECENT FINDINGS: Dengue has been increasingly intense and severe, seroprevalence is 80-100% in the Caribbean, children have increased attributable morbidity and mortality. Severe dengue, especially dengue with haemorrhage was significantly associated with haemoglobin SC disease and multiple organ-systems involved. These included the gastrointestinal and haematologic systems with extremely high lactate dehydrogenases and creatinine phosphokinases and severely abnormal bleeding indices. Despite appropriate interventions, mortality was highest within the first 48 h of admission. Chikungunya, a togavirus, affected 80% of some Caribbean populations. Paediatric presentations included high fever, skin, joint and neurological manifestations. Children less than 5 years of age had the highest morbidity and mortality. This maiden chikungunya epidemic was explosive and overwhelmed public health systems. Zika, another flavivirus, has a seroprevalence of 15% in pregnancy, so the Caribbean remains susceptible. Paediatric complications include pregnancy losses, stillbirths, Congenital Zika syndrome, Guillain-Barre syndrome, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and transverse myelitis. Neurodevelopment stimulation programs for zika-exposed infants have been effective in improving language and positive behaviour scores. SUMMARY: Caribbean children remain at risk for dengue, chikungunya and zika, with high attributable morbidity and mortality.

Plano de contingência para controle arboviroses - 2023/2024 (Dengue - Chikungunya - Zika) / Contingency Plan for Arbovirus Control - 2023/2024 (Dengue - Chikungunya - Zika)

O quadro epidemiológico atual das arboviroses no estado de Goiás caracteriza-se pela ampla distribuição do Aedes aegypti em todas as regiões, com circulação simultânea de sorotipos virais 1 e 2 da dengue e confirmação de casos de zika e chikungunya, objetivando a prevenção e controle de epidemias das arboviroses: dengue, chikungunya e zika a Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de Goiás apresenta o Plano de contingência para o controle de arboviroses 2023 - 2024

The current epidemiological picture of arboviruses in the state of Goiás is characterized by the wide distribution of Aedes aegypti in all regions, with simultaneous circulation of viral serotypes 1 and 2 of dengue and confirmation of cases of zika and chikungunya, aiming at the prevention and control of epidemics of arboviruses: dengue, chikungunya and zika the State Department of Health of Goiás presents the Plan of contingency for the control of arboviruses 2023 - 2024

Monitoring human arboviral diseases through wastewater surveillance: Challenges, progress and future opportunities.

Arboviral diseases are caused by a group of viruses spread by the bite of infected arthropods. Amongst these, dengue, Zika, west nile fever and yellow fever cause the greatest economic and social impact. Arboviral epidemics have increased in frequency, magnitude and geographical extent over the past decades and are expected to continue increasing with climate change and expanding urbanisation. Arboviral prevalence is largely underestimated, as most infections are asymptomatic, nevertheless existing surveillance systems are based on passive reporting of loosely defined clinical syndromes with infrequent laboratory confirmation. Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS), which has been demonstrated to be useful for monitoring diseases with significant asymptomatic populations including COVID19 and polio, could be a useful complement to arboviral surveillance. We review the current state of knowledge and identify key factors that affect the feasibility of monitoring arboviral diseases by WBS to include viral shedding loads by infected persons, the persistence of shed arboviruses and the efficiency of their recovery from sewage. We provide a simple model on the volume of wastewater that needs to be processed for detection of arboviruses, in face of lower arboviral shedding rates. In all, this review serves to reflect on the key challenges that need to be addressed and overcome for successful implementation of arboviral WBS.

Screening of febrile patients with suspected malaria from the Brazilian Amazon for virus infection.

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are a significant public health threat, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. More than 150 arboviruses can cause febrile illness following infection in humans. The Brazilian Amazon region has the highest number of arboviruses detected worldwide. In addition to arboviruses, malaria, caused by Plasmodium vivax, is endemic in the Amazon. Patients with malaria and arboviral disease frequently show similar clinical presentation and laboratory findings, making the diagnosis of the cause of the infection challenging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for viral infections in patients with suspected malaria but without Plasmodium infection in the Brazilian Amazon. We recruited 200 subjects with suspected malaria in Manaus, Brazil. First, we tested for arboviruses in serum samples from 124 of the 200 participants using an arbovirus DNA microarray platform, which did not detect any virus. Then, we mixed the serum samples of the other 76 participants in 10 pools and subjected them to next-generation sequencing. Analysis of the sequencing data revealed the presence of only one arbovirus (Zika virus) in one sample pool. This analysis also detected the presence of primate erythroparvovirus 1 and pegivirus C. These results suggest that arboviruses are not the most frequent viral infections in patients with suspected malaria but without Plasmodium infection in the metropolitan region of Manaus. Implementation of specific viral surveillance tests will help in the early detection of viruses with epidemic potential.

[Important arboviral diseases in returning travelers: dengue, chikungunya and zika]. / Wichtige Arbovirosen bei Tropenrückkehrern: Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika.

Arboviral infections are an important differential diagnosis in returning travelers with fever, muscle or joint pain and rash. Arboviruses have spread widely around the globe in the last decades. The most common arboviral infections in returning travelers from tropical and subtropical areas are dengue, chikungunya and zika. Their most important vectors, Aedes (Stegomyia) mosquito species, have adapted to the urban environment, which enabled arboviruses to establish urban transmission cycles. Population growth, urbanization, globalization, modern means of transportation and global warming are speeding up their spread.Laboratory confirmation of an arboviral infection can generally be obtained by direct virus detection (PCR, antigen test) in the first week of illness; from the second week of illness serology can be used. Treatment is mostly symptomatic.Dengue fever is the most common cause of fever in returning travelers from South-East Asia. Patients have to be educated about and observed for warning signs of severe dengue that can rarely develop around day 5 of the disease and is marked by a rise in hematocrit.Chikungunya mostly occurs in epidemics and is characterized by severe and often long-lasting arthritis.Preconceptional screening for zika virus infection is not recommended. Instead, travelers should delay conception for up to three months after returning from a zika endemic area.Dengue, chikungunya and zika vaccine development has been hampered by difficulties, for example antibody-dependent-enhancement or the unpredictability of outbreaks, and up to now no vaccines for travelers have been licensed. Yet several promising vaccine candidates are currently under development.

[ARBOALVO: territorial stratification for definition of areas for prompt response by surveillance and timely control of urban arbovirus infections]. / ARBOALVO: estratificação territorial para definição de áreas de pronta resposta para vigilância e controle de arboviroses urbanas em tempo oportuno.

The study aimed to present the methodological proposal entitled "Prompt Response", modelled in the cities of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais State) and Natal (Rio Grande do Norte State), Brazil. The proposal aims to identify and demarcate priority areas for timely targeting of surveillance activities, aiming to reduce the intensity and velocity in the spread of epidemics in endemic urban areas. The methodology uses three variables that represent the necessary causes for the production and reproduction of dengue: notified cases (virus), Aedes eggs (vector), and population (host). This was an ecological study that used data from three information planes aggregated in finer temporal and spatial scales of 3 to 4 weeks and 400 to 600-meter grids, respectively. The prompt response areas were defined by Scan statistical analysis with definition of simultaneous spatial clusters for the three planes via the SaTScan program. In Natal, the areas defined as prompt response occupied, on average, 15.2% of the city's territory and concentrated 67.77% of the dengue cases in the period following demarcation of the prompt response areas. In Belo Horizonte, the observed proportions were 64.16% of cases in 23.23% of the territory. These results were obtained in two cities with different socioenvironmental and geographic realities and distinct epidemiological profiles, indicating that the methodology can be applied to different urban realities, allowing control programs to concentrate on reduced portions of the territory and impacting a high percentage of cases in timely fashion.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar a proposta metodológica denominada de "Pronta Resposta" modelada nas cidades de Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) e Natal (Rio Grande do Norte), Brasil. A metodologia visa identificar e delimitar áreas prioritárias para o direcionamento das ações de vigilância em tempo oportuno, buscando a redução da intensidade e velocidade da dispersão de epidemias em áreas urbanas endêmicas. Para tanto, a metodologia utiliza três variáveis, que representam as causas necessárias para a produção e reprodução da dengue: casos notificados (vírus), ovos de Aedes (vetor) e população (hospedeiro). Trata-se de um estudo ecológico que utilizou os dados dos três planos de informações agregados em escalas temporais e espaciais mais finas, de três a quatro semanas e grades de 400 a 600 metros respectivamente. As áreas de pronta resposta foram definidas por meio de análise estatística de varredura Scan, com definição de clusters espaciais simultâneos para os três planos por meio do programa SaTScan. Os resultados observados foram: na cidade de Natal, as áreas definidas como pronta resposta ocuparam em média 15,2% do território do município e concentraram 67,77% dos casos de dengue do período posterior ao utilizado na delimitação das áreas de pronta resposta, e em Belo Horizonte, os números observados foram de 64,16% dos casos em 23,23% do território. Esses resultados foram obtidos em duas cidades com realidades socioambientais e geográficas diferentes e com perfis epidemiológicos também distintos, apontando que a metodologia pode ser aplicada em diferentes realidades urbanas, criando a possibilidade de os programas de controle atuarem em porções reduzidas do território e impactar num alto percentual de casos em tempo oportuno.

El objetivo del trabajo fue presentar la propuesta metodológica, denominada de "Resposta Rápida", modelada en las ciudades de Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) y Natal (Rio Grande do Norte), Brasil. Esta última tiene como meta identificar y delimitar áreas prioritarias para la ejecución de acciones de vigilancia en el momento oportuno, buscando la reducción de la intensidad y velocidad de la dispersión de epidemias en áreas urbanas endémicas. Para tal fin, la metodología utiliza tres variables, que representan las causas necesarias para la producción y reproducción del dengue: casos notificados (virus), huevos de Aedes (vector) y población (huésped). Se trata de un estudio ecológico que utilizó los datos de los tres planos de información agregados en escalas temporales y espaciales más finas, de 3 a 4 semanas y tablas de 400 a 600 metros respectivamente. Las áreas de respuesta rápida se definieron a través del análisis estadístico de exploración Scan, con definición de clústeres espaciales simultáneos para los tres planos mediante el programa SaTScan. Los resultados observados fueron: en la ciudad de Natal, las áreas definidas como de respuesta rápida ocuparon de media un 15,2% del territorio del municipio y concentraron un 67,77% de los casos de dengue del período posterior al utilizado en la delimitación de las áreas de respuesta rápida y, en Belo Horizonte, los números observados fueron un 64,16% de los casos en un 23,23% del territorio. Estos resultados se obtuvieron en dos ciudades con realidades socioambientales y geográficas diferentes y con perfiles epidemiológicos también distintos, apuntando que la metodología se puede aplicar en diferentes realidades urbanas. Dando la posibilidad de que los programas de control actúen en secciones reducidas del territorio e impactar en un alto porcentaje de casos en el momento oportuno.

Evaluation of the diagnostic capacities for emerging arboviral diseases in the international network MediLabSecure from 2014 to 2018 - Importance of external quality assessments.

BACKGROUND: Emerging infectious diseases pose an increasing threat to all nations around the world, including to developed countries. By definition, because they are rare or unknown, public health systems are not well prepared against these emerging diseases. To be fully prepared, countries must have implemented surveillance systems to monitor rare or unusual sanitary events. METHODS: The capacity of diagnostic laboratories is a key component of surveillance systems since they are in charge of identifying the pathogens responsible for outbreaks in a timely manner. The MediLabSecure project aims at implementing a comprehensive surveillance system for vector-borne diseases around the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. From 2014 to 2018, the human-virology group of MediLabSecure notably supported the implementation of molecular diagnostic capacities for eight arboviruses and one coronavirus in 19 laboratories of its network through sharing of protocols and reagents, and technical training of the scientific staff of beneficiary laboratories. RESULTS: We report the results of External Quality Assessments for four of these viruses to assess the efficiency of the diagnostic for these threats emerging in the geographic area. The results for these EQA demonstrate the success of the project in the implementation of diagnostic technics for the identification of Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika, and West Niles viruses in laboratories that did not have the capacity before. However, results also show that some work is still to be done to strengthen the newly acquired capacity. CONCLUSION: The MediLabSecure project deployed an effort to build an efficient capacity in identifying and survey the emergence of arboviruses in the Mediterranean area. Diagnostic technics were successfully implemented in many of the laboratories of the network, but the effort must be maintained over time to strengthen these capacities.