Caracterização epidemiológica dos casos de malária no Estado do Maranhão no período de 2007 a 2019

Abstract

Malaria is a disease caused by protozoa belonging to the genus Plasmodium (Laveran, 1980; Pessoa, 2020), and is transmitted by the bite of the female mosquito of the genus Anopheles (Ross, 1900), with Anopheles darlingi (Theobald, 1991) as the main vector. In Brazil, the highest incidence of the parasitosis occurs in the Amazon region, where 99% of cases are registered, comprising the states of Maranhão, Mato Grosso and those in the North region (Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins). The present study aimed to characterize the epidemiological profile of malaria cases from 2007 to 2019, in the state of Maranhão. This is an observational and ecological study, conducted through the collection of data on confirmed cases of malaria for the state of Maranhão, made available on the platform of the Department of Information Technology of the Unified Health System (DATASUS), which make up the database of the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN). Most cases of malaria occurred in male individuals (n=94; 77,04%; U = 27,50; p = 0,0035), aged 20 to 39 years (n=74; 62,20%; H = 43,24; p < 0,0001), who had incomplete elementary education ( n=39; 36,00%; H = 24,90; p = 0,0008), belonging to the brown race (n=105 87,51%; H = 23,66; p < 0,0001) and living in the urban area (n=75; 70,75%; U = 57,50; p = 0,17). Regarding the parasitological result, most cases were caused by Plasmodium vivax (n=61; 50,00%; H = 48,88; p < 0,0001). The microregions with the most malaria cases were Gurupi (n=24), Coelho Neto (n=17), and Alto Mearim and Grajaú (n=12). The highest incidence rate for malaria was recorded in the Coelho Neto microregion in 2008, with 4.58 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Despite the worrying situation of malaria, the data showed a decrease in cases over the years during the study period, indicating that control measures adopted for the region may be having an effect. However, it is crucial to maintain and intensify efforts to eliminate malaria in the state of Maranhão and throughout Brazil.