Prevalence of rubella antibodies in a non-immunized urban population, São Paulo, Brazil

The prevalence of rubella antibodies was evaluated through a ramdom Seroepidemiological survey in 1400 blood samples of 2-14 year old children and in 329 samples of umbilical cord serum. Rubella IgG antibodies were detected by ELISA, and the sera were collected in 1987, five years before the mass vaccination campaign with measles-mumps-rubella vaccine carried out in the city of São Paulo in 1992. A significant increase in prevalence of rubella infection was observed after 6 years of age, and 77% of the individuals aged from 15 to 19 years had detectable rubella antibodies. However, the seroprevalence rose to 90.5% (171/189) in cord serum samples from children whose mothers were 20 to 29 years old, and reached 95.6% in newborns of mothers who were 30 to 34 years old, indicating that a large number of women are infected during childbearing years. This study confirms that rubella infection represents an important Public Health problem in São Paulo city. The data on the seroprevalence of rubella antibodies before the mass vaccination campaign reflects the baseline immunological status of this population before any intervention and should be used to design an adequate vaccination strategy and to assess the Seroepidemiological impact of this intervention.

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Salivary antibody detection in epidemiological surveys: a pilot study after a mass vaccination campaign against rubella in São Paulo, Brazil

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.1016/0035-9203(95)90680-0 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 89 (1) ◽

pp. 115-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Raymundo Scares de Azevedo Neto ◽

Alison Richards ◽

David James Nokes ◽

Ana Silvia Barreiros Silveira ◽

Bernard John Cohen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Mass Vaccination ◽

Antibody Detection ◽

São Paulo ◽

Mass Vaccination Campaign ◽

Epidemiological Surveys

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Hepatitis B vaccination in adolescents living in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia ◽

10.1590/1980-5497201500030003 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 552-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Priscila Maria Stolses Bergamo Francisco ◽

Maria Rita Donalisio ◽

Filomena de Jesus Oliveira Gabriel ◽

Marilisa Berti de Azevedo Barros

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Vaccination Coverage ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Population Based ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Hepatitis B Vaccination ◽

São Paulo ◽

Important Public Health Problem ◽

Cross Sectional

INTRODUCTION: Viral hepatitis is an important public health problem in Brazil and around the world. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate vaccination coverage against hepatitis B in adolescents and to identify the associated factors and reasons for non-adherence. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based study with sampling by clusters and in two stages, carried out from records of 702 adolescents aged 11 to 19 years old, non-institutionalized, living in an urban area of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, in 2008/2009. The data were obtained from the Health Survey in the city of Campinas (ISACamp). RESULTS: The prevalence of vaccination (3 doses) was 72.2%. An independent and negative association with the vaccine was observed for the adolescents who were not born in the municipality. The orientation of a health care provider was positively and significantly associated with vaccination. The main reasons for non-adherence were the lack of orientation and not considering the vaccine necessary. Socioeconomic factors, health behaviors and conditions did not restrict the access to vaccination, but the coverage was below the target established by the Ministry of Health in Brazil. CONCLUSION: Health education programs, addressing the importance of vaccination to prevent the disease; strategies to actively reach out adolescents that did not complete the schedule; as well as orientation from the health care professional about the benefits of the vaccine to the adolescents, parents and guardians can extend the vaccination coverage.

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High occurrence of giardiasis in children living on a 'landless farm workers' settlement in Araras, São Paulo, Brazil

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo ◽

10.1590/s0036-46652013000300008 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 185-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Oswaldo Aparecido de Lima Junior ◽

Juliana Kaiser ◽

Rosana Catisti

Keyword(s):

Public Health Problem ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Farm Workers ◽

Parasitic Diseases ◽

São Paulo ◽

High Susceptibility ◽

Important Public Health Problem ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

Important Public Health ◽

The World

Enteric parasitosis remains an important public health problem in many areas around the world including in Brazil, and it is frequently associated with poverty and lack of sanitation facilities. Research carried out over the course of a year revealed that 96.6% (28/29) of children randomly selected from a 'landless farm workers' settlement in Araras, São Paulo, aged 4 - 15 years, presented Giardia intestinalis cysts. After referral to the neighborhood Health Office, all the children received tinidazole, given as a single dose of 50 mg/kg and 12 months later, new fecal samples were collected and analyzed. Despite the low adherence to the study, a high percentage (64.3% - 9/14) of the children remained positive for the parasite. This study showed a high positivity of giardiasis in child residents of the settlement, even after treatment; adults were not sensitized to the study and did not collected and/or deliver children fecal samples. The precarious living conditions are consistent with a high susceptibility to parasitic diseases, suggesting that the treatment of the infected individuals without identifying and eradicating the means of contamination is simply a palliative measure.

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First record on Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet, 1849) (Araneae, Sicariidae) in the West Zone of São Paulo City, São Paulo, Brazil, and considerations regarding its geographic distribution

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical ◽

10.1590/s0037-86822003000300019 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 425-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Rute Maria Gonçalves-de-Andrade ◽

Denise Vilarinho Tambourgi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Problem ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

First Record ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

São Paulo ◽

The West ◽

Important Public Health Problem ◽

Important Public Health ◽

Loxosceles Laeta

Loxosceles laeta spiders were captured in the West zone of São Paulo City, this being the first record of the specie in this area. Since loxoscelism is an important public health problem in the South region of Brazil, it is necessary to investigate the presence of this spider in São Paulo City.

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Risk factors and presence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in dogs from the coast of São Paulo State, Brazil

Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-736x2010000200011 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 161-166 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Rodrigo Costa da Silva ◽

Luiz Carlos de Souza ◽

Hélio Langoni ◽

Erika Maemi Tanaka ◽

Vanessa Yuri de Lima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

São Paulo ◽

Food Ingestion ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Paulo State ◽

Untreated Water ◽

São Paulo State

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and affects warm-blooded vertebrates, including pets and man. Dogs are epidemio-logically important since they act as sentinels for the infection in humans. The present study aimed to determine the presence of antibodies to T. gondii in 205 serum samples from dogs in Ubatuba, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, through indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IFAT), as well as the risk factors related to toxoplasmosis in the animals such as breed, age, sex, access to outdoors, homemade food ingestion, access to untreated water, and contact with rodents. Toxoplasmosis-positive samples accounted for 52/205 (25.4%), with titers ranging from 16 to 256. The serological results presented significant association (P<0.05) with homemade food ingestion (45/118; 38.1%; CI95% 29.9%-47.2%) (OR=7.0; CI95% 3.0-16.6), and with access to outdoors where those that do not have access to the street were prevalent (37/121; 30.6%; CI95% 23.1%-39.3%) (OR=0.5; CI95% 0.2-1.0). These results show that toxoplasmosis in this region is related to problems of sanitary education, mainly concerning the appropriate cooking of foods, since most positive animals did not show significant association with the presence of rodents or untreated water consumption but showed, instead association with ingestion of homemade food. Thus, toxoplasmosis is a public health problem in the studied region, and sanitary measures are needed to control the infection due to the strict relationship between man and dog and the presented risk factors

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Modelling the impact of delaying vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 assuming unlimited vaccine supply

Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling ◽

10.1186/s12976-021-00143-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marcos Amaku ◽

Dimas Tadeu Covas ◽

Francisco Antonio Bezerra Coutinho ◽

Raymundo Soares Azevedo ◽

Eduardo Massad

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Model ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Vaccination Rate ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

The State ◽

São Paulo ◽

Health Authorities ◽

The World ◽

The Moment ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background At the moment we have more than 177 million cases and 3.8 million deaths (as of June 2021) around the world and vaccination represents the only hope to control the pandemic. Imperfections in planning vaccine acquisition and difficulties in implementing distribution among the population, however, have hampered the control of the virus so far. Methods We propose a new mathematical model to estimate the impact of vaccination delay against the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the number of cases and deaths due to the disease in Brazil. We apply the model to Brazil as a whole and to the State of Sao Paulo, the most affected by COVID-19 in Brazil. We simulated the model for the populations of the State of Sao Paulo and Brazil as a whole, varying the scenarios related to vaccine efficacy and compliance from the populations. Results The model projects that, in the absence of vaccination, almost 170 thousand deaths and more than 350 thousand deaths will occur by the end of 2021 for Sao Paulo and Brazil, respectively. If in contrast, Sao Paulo and Brazil had enough vaccine supply and so started a vaccination campaign in January with the maximum vaccination rate, compliance and efficacy, they could have averted more than 112 thousand deaths and 127 thousand deaths, respectively. In addition, for each month of delay the number of deaths increases monotonically in a logarithmic fashion, for both the State of Sao Paulo and Brazil as a whole. Conclusions Our model shows that the current delay in the vaccination schedules that is observed in many countries has serious consequences in terms of mortality by the disease and should serve as an alert to health authorities to speed the process up such that the highest number of people to be immunized is reached in the shortest period of time.

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Parents’ and Adolescents’ Willingness to be Vaccinated Against Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease during a Mass Vaccination in Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean (Quebec)

Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology ◽

10.1155/2015/732464 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 163-167 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Eve Dubé ◽

Dominique Gagnon ◽

Denis Hamel ◽

Sylvie Belley ◽

Hélène Gagné ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Meningococcal Disease ◽

Endemic Area ◽

Telephone Survey ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Negative Attitude ◽

Mass Vaccination ◽

Mass Vaccination Campaign ◽

4Cmenb Vaccine ◽

Self Protection ◽

To Receive

A mass vaccination campaign with the 4CMenB vaccine (Bexsero®; Novartis Pharmaceutical Canada Inc) was launched in a serogroup B endemic area in Quebec. A telephone survey was conducted to assess parental and adolescent opinions about the acceptability of the vaccine. Intent to receive the vaccine or vaccine receipt was reported by the majority of parents (93%) and adolescents (75%). Meningitis was perceived as being a dangerous disease by the majority of parents and adolescents. The majority of respondents also considered the 4CMenB vaccine to be safe and effective. The main reason for positive vaccination intention or behaviour was self-protection, while a negative attitude toward vaccination in general was the main reason mentioned by parents who did not intend to have their child vaccinated. Adolescents mainly reported lack of interest, time or information, and low perceived susceptibility and disease severity as the main reasons for not intending to be vaccinated or not being vaccinated.

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Evolution of bacterial meningitis diagnosis in Sao Paulo State-Brazil and future challenges

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/0004-282x20130148 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 71 (9B) ◽

pp. 672-676 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Maristela Marques Salgado ◽

Maria Gisele Goncalves ◽

Lucila Okuyama Fukasawa ◽

Fabio Takenori Higa ◽

Juliana Thalita Paulino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Bacterial Meningitis ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Immunological Methods ◽

Haemophilus Influenzae Type ◽

Molecular Technique ◽

São Paulo ◽

Paulo State ◽

São Paulo State

Bacterial meningitis (BM) is a severe disease and still represents a serious public health problem with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The most common cases of BM around the world, mainly in Brazil, have been caused by Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae type b. Bacterial culture is the gold-standard technique for BM confirmation, but approximately 50% of suspected cases are not culture-confirmed, due to problems related to improper transportation and seeding or previous antibiotic treatment. Immunological methods present low sensitivity and have possibility of cross-reactions. Real time PCR (qPCR) is a molecular technique and has been successful used for BM diagnosis at Instituto Adolfo Lutz in São Paulo State, Brazil, since 2007. The incorporation of qPCR in the Public Health surveillance routine in our state resulted in diminishing 50% of undetermined BM cases. Our efforts are focused on qPCR implementation in the BM diagnostic routine throughout Brazil.

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Epidemiological aspects of the Brazilian spotted fever: serological survey of dogs and horses in an endemic area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo ◽

10.1590/s0036-46651996000600007 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 38 (6) ◽

pp. 427-430 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Elba R.S. de Lemos ◽

Raimundo D. Machado ◽

José R. Coura ◽

Maria A.A.M. Guimarães ◽

Nelson Chagas

Keyword(s):

Endemic Area ◽

Spotted Fever ◽

Domestic Animals ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

São Paulo ◽

Serological Survey ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Blood Samples ◽

Brazilian Spotted Fever

In order to obtain information on Brazilian spotted fever, a study in domestic animals was performed in the County of Pedreira, State of São Paulo, Brazil, where 17 human cases had been notified. Serum samples obtained from animals were tested by indirect immunofluorescence for detectable antibodies to spotted fever-group rickettsiae. Seropositivity was revealed in 12 (36.4%) of 33 dogs and seven (77.8%) of nine horses from the endemic area. For comparison, blood samples from dogs and horses from non endemic area were tested and four (12.9%) of 31 dogs and three (27.3%) of 11 horses were positive. The highest titers of antibodies by IFA (IgG > 1:1024) were found only in three dogs and six horses from endemic area. The results suggest that dogs as horses may serve as environmental sentinels for estabilishing the prevalence of foci of spotted fever in Brazil.

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