Descriptive profile of the occurrence of arboviruses in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: The objectives of this study were to analyse the clinical-demographic profile of arbovirus cases in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 2015 and 2016, and the incompleteness of notifications. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study of arboviruses was performed using secondary data. All reported autochthonous probable cases (confirmed and suspected) of Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika were included. Results: In total, 4,207 cases (dengue), 3,310 (zika) and 130 (chikungunya) were reported; the annual incidence rates (per 100,000 inhabitants) were 752.1 cases (dengue), 24.3 (chikungunya) and 591.8 (zika). February was the month with the highest notification for 3 arboviruses and female individuals were the most frequently affected. The most frequent age range for dengue was between 21 and 30 years old (20.3%), for chikungunya was over 50 years old (23.5%) and for zika was under 10 years old (28.6%). The most incident symptoms in dengue were fever (3.2%), headache (2.9%) and myalgia (2.6%), in chikungunya were arthralgia (46.6%), exanthema (37.5%) and myalgia (29.4%); for zika, the symptoms weren’t reported in the notification form. Very poor or poor completeness were verified in 77.4% (dengue), 34.6% (chikungunya), 22.2% (zika). Conclusions: The clinical-demographic profile of arboviruses in Governador Valadares is represented by women, aged between 21 and 40 years old, with complaints of fever, headache, myalgia and, particularly in chikungunya, arthralgia. The high percentage of unfilled fields in notification forms for 3 arboviruses is a serious limitation for public health actions against them.