Spatio-temporal patterns of scorpionism in Alagoas, northeastern Brazil: ecological study (2007 to 2021)

• Autor(a) principal: Cavalcante Santos, João Lucas
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: dos Santos, Adriano José, Ferreira dos Santos, Valdelice, dos Santos Silva, Ericlis, dos Santos Magalhães, Cledson, Santos Silva, José Rodrigo, Bispo dos Santos, Claudimary
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng; por
• Título da fonte: Diversitas Journal
• Texto Completo: https://diversitasjournal.com.br/diversitas_journal/article/view/2751
• topic: escorpiões; análise espacial; incidência; doenças tropicais; Scorpions; Spatial Analysis; Incidence; Tropical Diseases

Scorpionism is included in the list of Neglected Tropical Diseases due to its great impact on the health of populations in Brazil and worldwide. Thus, the present work aimed to investigate the space-time dynamics of accidents by scorpions notified in the state of Alagoas in the period from 2007 to 2021. It is a mixed ecological study with data from confirmed and reported cases in the Information System for Diseases of Notification (SINAN) and population estimates by municipality, carried out by the Federal Court of Auditors. All data were obtained from the open portal Health Information (TABNET) – DATASUS. All statistical queries were carried out using the free software R, version 4.2.2 and, therefore, used for: the development of the temporal analysis and the study of incidence by municipality (Bayesian Estimator) where a tendency towards an average annual increase was identified of concomitant cases to incidence; the Global Moran Index (Spatial Autocorrelation), noting that municipalities with the highest incidence rates are adjacent; and the Relative Risk, reporting that the cluster formed by the municipalities of Junqueiro, Teotônio Vilela, Arapiraca and Campo Alegre, presented the highest RR of scorpionism in almost the entire studied period. The results obtained in the research point to an annual growth in the number of accidents by scorpions in the state, thus demanding a greater effort in the identification and knowledge of risk areas, which will allow planning and dimensioning control strategies.