Climate change and vector-borne diseases: a regional analysis.

Current evidence suggests that inter-annual and inter-decadal climate variability have a direct influence on the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. This evidence has been assessed at the continental level in order to determine the possible consequences of the expected future climate change. By 2100 it is estimated that average global temperatures will have risen by 1.0-3.5 degrees C, increasing the likelihood of many vector-borne diseases in new areas. The greatest effect of climate change on transmission is likely to be observed at the extremes of the range of temperatures at which transmission occurs. For many diseases these lie in the range 14-18 degrees C at the lower end and about 35-40 degrees C at the upper end. Malaria and dengue fever are among the most important vector-borne diseases in the tropics and subtropics; Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the USA and Europe. Encephalitis is also becoming a public health concern. Health risks due to climatic changes will differ between countries that have developed health infrastructures and those that do not. Human settlement patterns in the different regions will influence disease trends. While 70% of the population in South America is urbanized, the proportion in sub-Saharan Africa is less than 45%. Climatic anomalies associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon and resulting in drought and floods are expected to increase in frequency and intensity. They have been linked to outbreaks of malaria in Africa, Asia and South America. Climate change has far-reaching consequences and touches on all life-support systems. It is therefore a factor that should be placed high among those that affect human health and survival.

[The health status of Yanomámi Indians: diagnosis from the Casa do Indio, Boa Vista, Roraima, 1987 - 1989]. / A situação de saúde dos índios Yanomámi: diagnóstico a partir da casa do índio de Boa Vista, Roraima, 1987 - 1989.

The change in the morbidity profile of the Yanomámi Indians admitted to the Casa do Indio, at Boa Vista, Roraima, from January 1987 to August 1989, is reported. The most frequent diseases observed in 495 patients were malaria, acute respiratory infections, tuberculosis, severe under nutrition, and sexually transmitted diseases. Malaria was the main cause of death of 114 Indians throughout the period. A striking increase in hospital admissions was noted in the population from the villages which were in closer contact with gold miners. The global impact of the invasion of the Yanomámi territory by miners on the quality of life and health levels of the Yanomámi is discussed.

Enteroparasitos em índios Yanomâmi / Intestinal parasites among Yanomâmi indians

The findings of intestinal helminths and protozoans parasites from the Yanomâmi indians of the Roraima State in Brazil are reported. The fecal samples were collected before these communities started a permanent contact with non-indians. Comments are made on the possible ecological and evolutionary factors responsible for the patterns of parasitism observed.

The finding of Enterobius vermicularis eggs in pré-Columbian human coprolites

Ovos de Enterobius vermicularis foram encontrados em coprólitos humanos coletados no sítio arqueológico de Caserones, Vale da Tarapaca, no Chile, com dataçöes de 400 BC a 800 AD. Este parasito humano já foi encontrado em outros sítios arqueológicios nas Américas e, a partir desses achados, discute-se a sua introduçäo neste continente

The finding of Enterobius vermicularis eggs in pre-Columbian human coprolites.

Enterobius vermicularis eggs were found in human coprolites collected in the archaeological site of Caserones, Tarapaca Valley, Chile, dating from 400 BC to 800 AD. The human pinworm had already been found in other pre-historic archaeological sites in America, and its introduction in this continent is discussed.

The finding of eggs of Diphyllobothrium in human coprolites (4,100-1,950 B.C.) from northern Chile.

Twenty six coprolites from an archaeological site in the province of Iquique, northern Chile, were examined for parasites. Coprolites were found in two excavation units, I and II (Tiliviche site), dated respectively at 5,900 B.C. to 4,110 B.C. and 4,110 B.C. to 1,950 B.C., and identified as of human origin. Only at the unit II coprolites containing helminth eggs identified as Diphyllobothrium pacificum were found. The presence of this tapeworm, a parasite of the American Sea Lion, in human coprolites, points to a diet which included marine fishes and provides information on the antiquity of infection by Diphyllobothrium pacificum. It is interesting to note that Baer (1969) suggests the presence of this tapeworm in pre-Columbian populations when diagnosing the first human cases in today's population in Peru.

The finding of eggs of Diphyllobothrium in human coprolites (4,100-1,950 B.C.) from Northern Chile.

Os autores realizaram exame parasitologico de vinte e seis coprolitos encontrados em um sitio arqueologico no norte do Chile, Provincia de Iquique.O material foi colhido em duas unidades de escavacao, I e II (sitio Tiliviche) datados respectivamente de 5.900 a.C. a 4.100 a.C. e 4.110 a.C. a 1.950 a.C. e identificados como de origem humana.Na unidade II foram observados ovos de helmintos diagnosticados como de Diphyllobothrium pacificum. Esse achado nos informa sobre a antiguidade da infeccao bem como sobre os habitos alimentares dessas populacoes, uma vez que a contaminacao se da por ingestao de peixes marinhos. E interessante assinalar que Baer (1969), ao descrever pela primeira vez a infeccao humana por esse cestodeo em populacoes atuais do Peru, sugere a sua presenca nas populacoes pre-colombianas

The finding of helminth eggs in a Brazilian mummy.

Coprolites were collected with the aid of a rectosigmoidoscope from a naturally mummified body of a child. The body dates from 3.490 +/- 120 to 430 +/- 70 BP and was found in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The coprolites were rehydrated with a trisodium phosphate solution and concentrated by the spontaneous sedimentation method. Microscopical examination showed eggs the same shape and size as those of Trichuris trichiura and of an ancylostomid.