Fatal Outcome of Chikungunya Virus Infection in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) emerged in the Americas in 2013 and has caused approximately 2.1 million cases and >600 deaths. A retrospective investigation was undertaken to describe clinical, epidemiological, and viral genomic features associated with deaths caused by CHIKV in Ceará state, northeast Brazil. METHODS: Sera, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and tissue samples from 100 fatal cases with suspected arbovirus infection were tested for CHIKV, dengue virus (DENV), and Zika virus (ZIKV). Clinical, epidemiological, and death reports were obtained for patients with confirmed CHIKV infection. Logistic regression analysis was undertaken to identify independent factors associated with risk of death during CHIKV infection. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using whole genomes from a subset of cases. RESULTS: Sixty-eight fatal cases had CHIKV infection confirmed by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (52.9%), viral antigen (41.1%), and/or specific immunoglobulin M (63.2%). Co-detection of CHIKV with DENV was found in 22% of fatal cases, ZIKV in 2.9%, and DENV and ZIKV in 1.5%. A total of 39 CHIKV deaths presented with neurological signs and symptoms, and CHIKV-RNA was found in the CSF of 92.3% of these patients. Fatal outcomes were associated with irreversible multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Patients with diabetes appear to die at a higher frequency during the subacute phase. Genetic analysis showed circulation of 2 CHIKV East-Central-South African (ECSA) lineages in Ceará and revealed no unique virus genomic mutation associated with fatal outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The investigation of the largest cross-sectional cohort of CHIKV deaths to date reveals that CHIKV-ECSA strains can cause death in individuals from both risk and nonrisk groups, including young adults.

Maternal and infant death after probable vertical transmission of chikungunya virus in Brazil - case report.

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya virus infection in neonates is relatively rare and can lead to death. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the occurrence of the first death of a mother and child after probable vertical transmission of chikungunya virus in Brazil. A 28-year-old pregnant woman with hypertension presented with symptoms compatible with an arboviral disease at 34 weeks' gestation. She developed preeclampsia with severe respiratory failure which resulted in the emergency cesarean section, and the patient died 12 days after the onset of symptoms. The pre-term newborn weighed 2535 g, with an Apgar score of 4/8. He was referred to the neonatal ICU with neutrophilia and thrombocytopenia, several seizure episodes, and hemorrhagic disorders, which resulted in death. Chikungunya IgM antibody was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid. CONCLUSIONS: We present the first documented maternal and neonatal death in Brazil after probable chikungunya infection during pregnancy.

Neurological growth and development of children asymptomatic at birth whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: Newborn who had Zika vírus but did not show microcephaly at birth may have neuropsychomotor development problems. We aimed to evaluate the developmental and anthropometric milestones of asymptomatic children whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy in Northeastern Brazil in 2015 and 2016. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional case series study of children in Fortaleza born without microcephaly whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy. Home visits were undertaken to evaluate the developmental milestones and gather anthropometric data of the children and to conduct semi-structured interviews with the mothers to identify their socioeconomic and gestational profiles and assess the newborns after birth. RESULTS: In total, 30 cases were identified. Of these, 17 children and their mothers participated in the study. The median age of the mothers at the time of delivery was 26 years. All were symptomatic, and TORCH was negative. At the time of the home visit, all had growth profiles suitable for their age. However, nearly all children (15/17, 88.2%) presented at least one developmental delay, considering their age group. CONCLUSIONS: There were late changes in the neuropsychomotor development of children born to mothers who had Zika during pregnancy, suggesting the need for specialized medical follow-ups.

A major chikungunya epidemic with high mortality in northeastern Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: Chikungunya causes fever and severe and persistent joint pain. METHODS: We reported a chikungunya outbreak that occurred in Ceará State, Brazil between 2016 and 2017 with emphasis on epidemiological characterization of cases, high number of deaths, mortality-associated factors, and spatial and temporal spread of the epidemic among municipalities. RESULTS: In November 2015, the first autochthonous cases of chikungunya were confirmed in Ceará, Brazil. In 2016-2017, 195,993 cases were reported, with an incidence of 2,186.5/100,000 inhabitants and 244 confirmed deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid transmission and high mortality rate are serious problems, especially in regions with co-circulating arboviruses.

Experience of the Arbovirus Death Investigation Committee in Ceará, Brazil, in 2017: advances and challenges. / Experiência do Comitê de Investigação de Óbitos por Arboviroses no Ceará em 2017: avanços e desafios.

OBJECTIVE: to describe the experience and preliminary results of the Arbovirus Death Investigation Committee in Ceará, Brazil, in 2017. METHODS: the Committee investigates and discusses all suspected cases of arbovirus deaths reported by the epidemiological surveillance service. RESULTS: a total of 443 suspected arbovirus deaths were reported, 220 (49.7%) of which were confirmed; of these, 88.2% were from chikungunya and 11.8% from dengue; the median age of chikungunya deaths was higher when compared to dengue (77 versus 56 years) and the time until death was also longer when compared to dengue (38 versus 12 days); median time for case closure was 54.5 days; in 2017, Ceará confirmed 80.4% of Brazilian chikungunya deaths. CONCLUSION: the investigation of deaths showed that CHIK viruses were responsible for the majority of arboviral deaths in the state of Ceará, in 2017.

O ensino da saúde coletiva no Brasil: uma revisão integrativa / Teaching public health in Brazil: an integrative review

RESUMO O ensino da saúde coletiva no Brasil contribui para o desenvolvimento técnico-científico do campo, transcendendo a mera abordagem de programas de saúde de forma fragmentada. Assim, objetivou-se neste estudo compreender a operacionalização do ensino em saúde coletiva, na graduação e pós-graduação stricto sensu, no Brasil. Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa de literatura a partir da busca nas bases de dados PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Literatura Latino-americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (Lilacs), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) e Centro Latino-Americano e do Caribe de Informação em Ciências da Saúde (Bireme). Foram analisados 21 artigos por título, autor, ano, caracterização e/ou objetivo, metodologia e principais resultados. Conclui-se que a institucionalização de cursos de pós-graduação no campo da saúde coletiva seguiu o movimento educacional da universidade e a Reforma Sanitária Brasileira, ao passo que cursos de graduação só ocorreram na última década. O marco constitucional de 1988 define o ordenamento de recursos humanos para a formação profissional no e para o sistema de saúde no País.

ABSTRACT The teaching of public health in Brazil contributes to the technical-scientific development of the field, transcending the mere approach of health programs in a fragmented way. Thus, the objective of this study was to understand the operationalization of teaching in public health, in the stricto sensu undergraduate and graduate programs, in Brazil. This is an integrative literature review based on a search in PubMed, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) databases, and the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME). Twenty-one articles were analyzed by title, author, year, characterization and/or objective, methodology, and main results. It is concluded that the institutionalization of graduate courses in the field of public health followed the educational movement of the university and the Brazilian Health Reform, while undergraduate courses only took place in the last decade. The 1988 constitutional framework defines the ordering of human resources for professional training in and for the country's health system.

Neurological growth and development of children asymptomatic at birth whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Newborn who had Zika vírus but did not show microcephaly at birth may have neuropsychomotor development problems. We aimed to evaluate the developmental and anthropometric milestones of asymptomatic children whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy in Northeastern Brazil in 2015 and 2016. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional case series study of children in Fortaleza born without microcephaly whose mothers had Zika during pregnancy. Home visits were undertaken to evaluate the developmental milestones and gather anthropometric data of the children and to conduct semi-structured interviews with the mothers to identify their socioeconomic and gestational profiles and assess the newborns after birth. RESULTS: In total, 30 cases were identified. Of these, 17 children and their mothers participated in the study. The median age of the mothers at the time of delivery was 26 years. All were symptomatic, and TORCH was negative. At the time of the home visit, all had growth profiles suitable for their age. However, nearly all children (15/17, 88.2%) presented at least one developmental delay, considering their age group. CONCLUSIONS: There were late changes in the neuropsychomotor development of children born to mothers who had Zika during pregnancy, suggesting the need for specialized medical follow-ups.

A major chikungunya epidemic with high mortality in northeastern Brazil

Abstract INTRODUCTION Chikungunya causes fever and severe and persistent joint pain. METHODS We reported a chikungunya outbreak that occurred in Ceará State, Brazil between 2016 and 2017 with emphasis on epidemiological characterization of cases, high number of deaths, mortality-associated factors, and spatial and temporal spread of the epidemic among municipalities. RESULTS: In November 2015, the first autochthonous cases of chikungunya were confirmed in Ceará, Brazil. In 2016-2017, 195,993 cases were reported, with an incidence of 2,186.5/100,000 inhabitants and 244 confirmed deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid transmission and high mortality rate are serious problems, especially in regions with co-circulating arboviruses.