Introduction: Schistosomiasis is endemic in 74 countries and is considered a serious public health problem in some locations. Methods: A transverse study was performed of 13 landless settlements in southern Sergipe from February to December 2009. The study included 822 settlers, of whom 601 underwent stool testing. Results: The prevalence of schistosomiasis in landless workers was 4.3%. The population has a low education level, and basic sanitation services are not available to all residents. Conclusions: The prevalence of schistosomiasis was low in the population and among different settlements, possibly because of different forms of water use by the settlers.Keywords: Schistosomiasis. Intestinal parasites. Settlements.Schistosomiasis is caused by Schistosoma mansoni infection and is registered in 74 countries. Schistosomiasis is considered a serious public health problem in many areas of Brazil. Government actions are required to improve sanitation, control snails with molluscicides, treat infected persons, and educate at-risk populations 1 .Schistosomiasis is a disease with global impact that remains difficult to control centuries after its discovery because it involves interactions between government agencies, the planning and implementation of sanitation, the use of molluscicides to combat snails, drugs to treat infected people, and education regarding the deposition of feces 1 .The Brazilian social movement known as the Movement of Landless Rural Workers was created in the 1980s with the aim of promoting agrarian reform for landless peasants relying on unproductive properties. However, these settlements do not have an adequate health infrastructure, favoring the emergence of waterborne diseases 2 .To verify the presence of Schistosoma mansoni in the stools of landless settlers in riverside towns of southern Sergipe, Brazil, to evaluate the effect of socio-environmental factors on the spread of this parasite, and to characterize the clinical forms of the infected patients, we developed a cross-sectional study of 13 settlements within the region from February to December 2009 (Figure 1).The study population included those aged 2 to 65 years and encompassed 227 households from 13 settlements. The clinical epidemiological survey was conducted in situ through home visits. For the study of Schistosoma mansoni eggs, the fi rst 3 stool samples collected on alternate days were packed in a TFTest® Kit (Three Fecal Test; Imunoassay Ltd, Brazil). This set comprises three tubes, and the fecal samples were preserved under analytical conditions for 30 days 3 . The samples were sent for analysis at the laboratory of the University Hospital of the Federal University of Sergipe. All infected patients were treated.From the 601 examinations, a prevalence rate of 4.3% was obtained for S. mansoni. Of the 13 settlements, 8 (61.5%) were positive for S. mansoni, and the positivity rate varied from 0 to 22.2% among settlements.Among infected individuals aged 3 to 48 years, 69.2% were male subjects, and there were no differ...

Introduction:Chagas disease is considered one of the 17 most neglected tropical diseases in the World, with the most common form of vector transmission. Methods: This structured cross-sectional study was conducted through an epidemiological survey in the Tobias Barreto municipality of Sergipe. Results: Of the 255 participants, 1 (0.4%) participant was positive for human Chagas disease. Approximately 30.2% of the participants found the triatomine bugs in their houses and outbuildings. Conclusions: The detection of a case indicated transmission, which was also evidenced by the presence of triatomines and poor housing conditions. Keywords: Chagas disease. Triatominae. Serology.The incidence of human Chagas disease in Latin American countries is estimated at 6-7 million people (1) . The high costs for its treatment in the chronic phase have been a burden on public health systems because of the progressive impairment of the cardiac and digestive forms of the disease (2) .Triatomines are the primary source of transmission and are the vectors responsible for maintaining the sylvatic cycle of the disease. An increased risk of vector-borne transmission is associated with rural areas where the proximity of humans to wild environments favors vector contact.The risk of transmission is high in Sergipe due to the endemicity of triatomines infected by Trypanosoma cruzi in the region; entomological data from the Central Public Health Laboratory of Sergipe [Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública de Sergipe (LACEN-SE)] for the years 2005-2014 motivated the selection of the area. Approximately 168 triatomines sent from the Tobias Barreto municipality were examined. Of these, 81 (48%) were found in the villages of Poço da Clara and Alagoinhas, and 43 (25%) were infested. The regional epidemiologic background was that of a high prevalence of Chagas disease in State of Sergipe (5.9%) based on a national serological survey conducted in 1980; this prevalence is higher than the national average of 4.2%.This study investigated the presence of human Chagas disease via a quantitative cross-sectional and structured epidemiological survey that was conducted in the villages of Alagoinhas and Poço da Clara, in the Tobias Barreto municipality, Sergipe State.Some areas in the villages were visited to evaluate the physical characteristics of the housing; some buildings had reformed physical structures. However, older facilities were maintained consisted of mud houses adjoined to the main houses, used as storage areas for food and materials or as shelter for small pets ( Table 1). After the educational lectures about the risks of transmission of disease and disorders, participants were randomly selected and voluntarily provided informed, written consent and completed a questionnaire about socio-economic and demographic factors, to identify the variables related with transmission risk. Blood samples collected by peripheral venous puncture were centrifuged at the collection site after ten minutes of sedimentation, stored in ice coolers, and ...

Objetivos: Identificar o conhecimento dos acadêmicos de Medicina e Enfermagem da Universidade Federal de Sergipe acerca da doação de órgãos e tecidos para transplante: legislação e critérios de confirmação do diagnóstico de Morte Encefálica (ME), identificar se a religião interfere na percepção e se os acadêmicos falam sobre doação de órgãos com familiares ou amigos. Métodos: Estudo quantitativo, descritivo e transversal com 85 acadêmicos (22 de Enfermagem e 63 de Medicina ) da UFS que responderam a um questionário semi estruturado contendo 20 perguntas. Resultados: O grupo tinha idade entre 16 e 34 anos: 55,3% do sexo feminino predominantemente da religião católica (71,7%). A maioria (75,3%) informou que a religião praticada não esclarece sobre doação de órgãos e transplante. 80% declararam ter conhecimento sobre a legislação de transplante; 87% acreditavam que a ME é igual à parada cardiorrespiratória; 52,9% afirmaram conhecer o protocolo para diagnóstico de ME, embora o mesmo percentual tenha respondido que não existe diferença no diagnóstico em adulto e em criança; 70,6% sabiam da necessidade de exame complementar e 65,9% sabiam que são necessários pelo menos dois médicos para atestar a ME, mas 45,9% acreditavam que o intervalo mínimo para reavaliação clínica da ME em adulto fosse de duas horas. Quanto ao conhecimento sobre doação de órgãos e transplante após ingressar na Academia, 5,9% responderam ser igual, 75,3% afirmaram ser maior e 18,8% acreditaram ser menor. Embora para 40% deles a carteira de identidade serviria como documento para autorizar doação, 76,5% afirmaram posteriormente que a única atitude necessária seria informar a família. Conclusão: Os acadêmicos de Medicina e Enfermagem da Universidade Federal de Sergipe têm pouco conhecimento sobre doação de órgãos e tecidos para transplante, sendo que a maioria desconhece a legislação pertinente, o que pode interferir no envolvimento daqueles discentes, quando profissionais, no processo de doação de órgãos e tecidos para transplantes.