Every year about 3 million tourists from around the world visit Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay´s triple border region where the Iguaçu Falls are located. Unfortunately, in recent years an increasing number of autochthonous canine and human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases have been reported. The parasite is Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum and it is transmitted by sand flies (Phlebotominae). To assess the risk factors favorable for the establishment and spread of potential vectors the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light trap (CDC-light trap) collections were made in the Foz do Iguaçu (FI) and Santa Terezinha de Itaipu (STI) townships and along two transects between them. Our study determined the Phlebotominae fauna, the factors that affect the presence and abundance of Lutzomyia longipalpis and Nyssomyia whitmani, the presence of L. infantum in different sand fly species and which Leishmania species are present in this region. Lutzomyia longipalpis was the prevalent species and its distribution was related to the abundance of dogs. Leishmania infantum was found in Lu. longipalpis, Ny. whitmani, Ny. neivai and a Lutzomyia sp. All the results are discussed within the Stockholm Paradigm and focus on their importance in the elaboration of public health policies in international border areas. This region has all the properties of stable VL endemic foci that can serve as a source of the disease for neighboring municipalities, states and countries. Most of the urban areas of tropical America are propitious for Lu. longipalpis establishment and have large dog populations. Pan American Health Organization´s initiative in supporting the public health policies in the border areas of this study is crucial and laudable. However, if stakeholders do not act quickly in controlling VL in this region, the scenario will inevitable become worse. Moreover, L. (Viannia) braziliensis found in this study supports the need to develop public health policies to avoid the spread of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The consequences of socioeconomic attributes, boundaries and frontiers on the spread of diseases cannot be neglected. For an efficient control, it is essential that urban planning is articulated with the neighboring cities.

A cross-sectional epidemiological study in the extreme-west of the state of Paraná was carried out to access the prevalence, distribution, and risk variables of canine Visceral Leishmaniases (cVL). This study was conducted in three areas, two cities of far west of Parana state: Foz do Iguaçu (FI) and Santa Terezinha de Itaipu (STI), and along two transects between these two municipalities. To sample the entire urban area, the cities (FI and STI) were divided into a grid of squares of 400 m2 (patch). Among the 526 patches, 123 in FI, 40 in the transects and 33 in STI were selected according to the ‘worst scenario’ criterion. In the transect areas, in each 0.86 km five dogs from houses were surveyed to leishmaniasis. In each patch, blood of five dogs from houses (and from neighborhood when necessary) in the areas that seemed to be the most appropriate for the proliferation of vector were surveyed. The infection of the dogs by cVL were assessed using two serological tests were used (cELISA and TR-DPP®), and, for those seropositive for both methods, the PCR method were used. Moreover, dogs presenting clinical signs or cutaneous lesions were sampled to PCR. The identification of Leishmania species was confirmed using PCR-RFLP followed by DNA sequencing. Micro, meso and macro scale environmental variables were also surveyed and statistically analyzed. The prevalence rate Leishmania infantum was 23.8% in FI, 4.7% in STI and 9.1% in the transects areas. Among the extrinsic variables analysed, the number of vectors and the presence of infected dogs in neighbouring were positively correlated with the occurrence of infected dogs. Dog size was positively correlated with cVL infection, while the quality of the dog’s nutrition affected cVL negatively. As for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), the first registry of dogs infected with L. braziliensis in the region shows that there is potential for transmission in peri-urban areas, since environmental conditions allow the proliferation of vectors capable of transmitting this species of parasite. cVL is widely spread in FI, with high prevalence. This supports the hypothesis that the parasite has been present in the region for longer than previously believed, despite the fact that the presence of leishmaniais in the region has only been recognized recently. It is important to control the population of dogs infected with L. infantum (parasite and non-antibodies) to prevent the spread of the disease to other dogs and also to people in the region.

A pesquisa foi realizada na Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) de Guaratuba, Paraná, e teve como objetivo analisar os impactos ambientais sob o ponto de vista dos moradores tradicionais locais. Utilizou-se dois instrumentos: Sistema de Informações Geográfica (SIG) e Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo (DSC). Embora o SIG contenha mais situações que no DSC, observou-se que são coincidentes. A forma como as pressões atuam é complexa e a análise deve envolver as comunidades naturais e tradicionais.

Entre os principais problemas enfrentados por comunidades localizadas em áreas rurais ou periurbanas, destaca-se a precariedade de ações no âmbito do saneamento. Cenário, esse, que favorece a veiculação de doenças e outros agravos de ordem social que contribuem para a manutenção das condições de vulnerabilidade social, além dos impactos negativos causados aos sistemas ecológicos. Tal situação é identificada na Comunidade Remanescente Quilombola Vila Esperança de Mariental no município da Lapa, estado do Paraná. O presente trabalho apresenta um plano de ações voltadas ao saneamento como princípio de sustentabilidade, construído a partir de um diagnóstico sobre a situação ambiental e socioeconômica da população e que, aliado ao projeto de educação ambiental proposto, pode servir como fio condutor de mudanças naquela realidade no que diz respeito a melhorias das condições sociais e de saúde da população, além de contribuir para a sustentabilidade local. Dentre as alternativas, foram propostos sistemas de tratamento de esgoto com zonas de raízes.Palavras-chave: sistemas descentralizados; zona de raízes; educação ambiental.

Public educational policies, together with the university, expand subsidies to civilizational progress and national development. Around the world, universities began to participate in actions aimed at meeting the goals of Sustainable Development driven by initiatives supported by the United Nations. This article aims to identify, through scientific bibliography, the implementation of the theme: sustainable development in higher education institutions in several countries. This is an integrative review, carried out on the databases: Web of Science and Scopus. The descriptors and strategies used to search the databases were: sustainability AND universities AND sustainable development AND higher education; the terms translated into English and the Boolean 'OR' were used for all descriptors. After evaluating the selection criteria, a total of 34 articles were selected for the study. The results have shown that the practice of including the theme develops slowly and progressively in higher education institutions. It is concluded that sustainable development is a theme that requires multidisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, and interdisciplinarity since it adds the need for knowledge and attitudes that enhance work between managers and teachers in the academic scenario. The partnership between universities, government, and companies can be an essential factor in the integration of sustainable development in higher education institutions, mainly in developing countries, and that many studies and advances are necessary for sustainable development to be carried out within a dynamic conception in universities.