INCIDENCE OF CHAGAS DISEASE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN THE AMAZON

Abstract

Diseases related to environmental problems that have occurred in recent years have had an increasing impact on the spread of infectious diseases, especially those transmitted by vectors such as Malaria, Leishmaniasis and Chagas Disease, these diseases continue to be one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in Brazil and in the world. Clearly, social issues combined with environmental degradation and ecological disruption, whether natural or human in origin, have a significant impact on the emergence and spread of certain diseases, such as CD. Thus, the objective of this research is to analyze the impacts of socio-environmental elements on the prevalence of Chagas Disease in the Amazon. This will be done through an extensive review of scientific works focused on the suggested topic. The Study involves a thorough survey of bibliographic sources, including books, magazines and articles already published in databases such as Scielo, PubMed, Lilacs, Zenodo, from the last 10 years. As inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles, books and papers published between 2014 and the first half of 2023 were selected. During the investigation, it was found that there was a lack of research that describes in more detail the socio-environmental issues related to Chagas disease in the Amazon Brazilian, this information is used to reinforce and elucidate the problem in question. By presenting and analyzing the points of view of various authors on the topic, the research ultimately aims to pose thought-provoking questions that will inspire readers to explore new paths in their search for scientific knowledge on the subject. After analyzing the literature, it was found that approximately 3 million people in Brazil are infected by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), which causes CD. Disease transmission is based on enhanced human-vector relationships, often dictated by the degradation of natural environments and the migration of triatomines from their habitats. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in cases in the Northern regions, including the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins. Furthermore, deforestation and social differences are seen as the main factors responsible for altering the balance between vectors and humans and, thus, contributing to the higher incidence of the disease. The research also showed that Chagas disease in the North region was classified as acute CD, as it was associated with food contamination in these cases recorded between 2014 and 2017, with the highest rate recorded in the state of Pará. After analyzing the findings of this study, It is clear that Chagas disease continues to be a major public health problem in Brazil, especially in the Amazon region. Furthermore, the data obtained in the study allowed us to understand that the prevalence in most cases of CD is related to environmental and social degradation problems. Finally, it is important to work on preventing Chagas Disease in the Amazon region, which can be achieved through the improvement and management of activities aimed at developing agricultural activities in a sustainable manner, reducing environmental damage and altering the natural habitat.