Programa multidisciplinário de vigilância de las enfermedades infecciosas en zonas colindantes con la Carretera Transamazonica en Brasil. I. Ecologia de la region.

• Autor(a) principal: Peterson, Norman E
• Data de Publicação: 1981
• Outros Autores: Roberts, Donald R, Liewellyn, Craig H, Pinheiro, Francisco de Paula
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: spa
• Título da fonte: Repositório Digital do Instituto Evandro Chagas (Patuá)
• Texto Completo: https://patua.iec.gov.br/handle/iec/2561
• topic: Vigilância Epidemiológica; Rodovia Transamazônica (PA); Transamazônica (PA); Topografia Médica; Topografia; Região Norte (BR); Pará (PA)

From 1974 through 1976 a multidistiplinary disease surveillance program, consisting of epidemioiogical , mammalogua l and entoinological components, was conducted along an 805 km portion of the Transamazon Highway in the northern Brazilian state o f Pará. Families originating from every state in Brazil have settled this area under a government controlled colonization program iniciated in 1971. This paper presents a general description of the area in which the surveillance program was conducted. The general topography ranged from flatland to steep hills 100 m high, with most hilltops less than 250 m above sea level. Even though the highway traversed a number of rivers, the study area was mostly non-riverine Seasonal changes in average daily temperature (26.2° - 31.5°C ) were slight when compare with seasonal changes in rainfall Although the annual rainfall was high (1.455 mm - 2,293 mm) , some months received as little as 20 mm . The length of the dry season ranged from 3 to 5 months throughout the area studied. These data suggest that this was not a true rain forest, but a semi-evergreen seasonal or an evergreen seasonal tropical forest. The upper canopy of trees and palms was 15 to 30 m in height, and the emergent trees were up to 40 m tall. A sufficient amount of light reached the ground to permit a thick growth of woody plants. Bamboo also was common in the forest habitat . The colonists cleared and burned portions of the forest and planted crops. This cropland was soon overgrown with a thick secondary scrub vegetation and abandoned. Other sections of the forest were then cleared and planted. Chickens, ducks, dogs. cats, and pigs were the common domesticated animals , and cattle were beginning to appear as more grassland was cultivated.