HANTAVIRUS ON THE RISE: THE ROLE OF HEALTH SURVEILLANCE IN PREVENTING OUTBREAKS AND REDUCING DEATHS

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the role of health surveillance in preventing hantavirus outbreaks and reducing deaths, highlighting epidemiological strategies, preventive actions, and challenges related to disease control in at-risk areas. This is an integrative literature review that followed the six methodological steps and used the PICO strategy to develop the guiding question. The search was conducted in the LILACS, BVS, PubMed/MEDLINE, SciELO, and Scopus databases, using DeCS/MeSH descriptors associated with the Boolean operators AND and OR. Hantavirus remains an important challenge for public health due to its high lethality, rapid clinical evolution, and relationship with environmental changes, deforestation, and agricultural expansion. It was observed that health surveillance, associated with early diagnosis, mandatory notification, health education, and the One Health approach, contributes significantly to the prevention of outbreaks and the reduction of mortality.