TEMPORAL TREND OF GESTATIONAL TOXOPLASMOSIS IN ALAGOAS AND BRAZIL, 2019–2024

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the epidemiological profile and analyze the temporal trend of gestational toxoplasmosis in the state of Alagoas, comparing it with the national scenario from 2019 to 2024. This ecological time-series study used data from the Brazilian Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN) and the Live Birth Information System (SINASC). Detection rates per 1,000 live births were calculated, and Prais-Winsten regression was applied to estimate the Annual Percent Change (APC) and its respective 95% confidence intervals. Stratified analyses were also performed according to gestational age at diagnosis, maternal age group, race/skin color, and educational level, along with a comparison between the periods before and after the inclusion of gestational toxoplasmosis in the Brazilian National List of Compulsorily Notifiable Diseases. A total of 1,259 cases were identified in Alagoas and 70,891 in Brazil, with an increasing trend in detection rates in both settings, which was more pronounced in Alagoas. The greatest increases were observed among pregnant women diagnosed during the first trimester, those aged 20–39 years, and those self-identified as mixed-race (parda), in addition to a marked increase in detection rates following the implementation of compulsory notification. The increase in detection rates may, at least partially, reflect the strengthening of epidemiological surveillance, reinforcing the need to expand serological screening during prenatal care and intensify epidemiological surveillance measures to reduce vertical transmission of toxoplasmosis.