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Título

Epidemiological profile of Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome (SCZ) in Ceará between 2015 and 2021: a critical view on the notifications

Resumo

Introduction: Zika Virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and its infection has as its main symptoms myalgia, headache, and fever. During pregnancy, contamination by the Zika virus carries a high risk of developing a congenital malformation called microcephaly, characterized by Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome (SCZ), in which a newborn (NB) is born with a head circumference smaller than expected (32 cm). Objective: To delineate the epidemiological profile of SCZ in Ceará between the years 2015 and 2021, identifying the risk factors of this condition. Methodology: This is a descriptive epidemiological study that used secondary data from Tabnet, being tabulated in Microsoft Excel®, according to notifications of suspected cases of SCZ (DATASUS). Results: In the period analyzed, 924 cases of SCZ were notified. The most affected maternal ethnicities were brown (71%) and uninformed or ignored (23.38%). The average age group of the most affected mothers was 20 to 29 years (42.1%), with the two least affected being 45 to 49 (0.32%) and under 15 years (0.65%). The gestational age at which the most significant congenital abnormality was detected was >27 weeks (3rd trimester) (66.99%). Among the congenital alterations identified between 2015 and 2021, exclusive microcephaly was the most prevalent (63.43; 79.43%), followed by microcephaly with Central Nervous System (CNS) alterations (8.86; 11.09%). Almost all cases of SCZ had no detection of concomitant neurological impairment (910; 98.4%). In the year 2016 (449 cases), there was the most intense underreporting frequency by etiology, because there is an amount of unreported, ignored and/or unknown etiology in 372 cases (82.85%). From the studied period, 2018 to 2021, the underreporting of microcephaly cases became even more exorbitant, as 94.66% fell into the unknown etiology. The percentage difference between the genders of NB with microcephaly in the analyzed period is 15.91%, with males being the most affected (55.74%). However, in 4.44% of cases, there was no information, or the gender of the NB was ignored. Conclusion: It is not possible to delineate precisely the epidemiological profile of the SCZ given the intense underreporting, among them: etiology and ethnicity, being the most important in the diagnostic context. There was a relevant distinction between genders, which hypothesizes that males are more exposed to the condition.