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. 2021 Jun 1;18(11):5952.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115952.

Incidence of Reported Flu-Like Syndrome Cases in Brazilian Health Care Workers in 2020 (March to June)

Ada Ávila Assunção  1 , Emanuella Gomes Maia  2 , Renata Jardim  3 , Tânia Maria de Araújo  4
Affiliations

Incidence of Reported Flu-Like Syndrome Cases in Brazilian Health Care Workers in 2020 (March to June)

Ada Ávila Assunção et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Health care workers (HCWs) are at an increased risk of being exposed to COVID-19. This study aimed to characterize flu-like syndrome cases (FS) in HCWs notified in Brazil and compare them with FS cases in the general community (GC). In the Brazilian protocol, FS corresponds to a suspected case of COVID-19. The manuscript analyzed cases of FS in five Brazilian states, estimating the incidence rates of cases of FS and clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Registered cases (March to June 2020) totaled about 1,100,000 cases of FS. HCWs represented 17% of the registers, whose incidence was 20.41/100 vs. 2.15/100 in the GC. FS cases in HCWs concentrated the highest percentages in the age group of 30 to 49 years (65.15%) and among the nursing staff (46.86%). This study was the first interstate evaluation in Brazil to estimate suspected cases of FS by COVID-19 in HCWs. In order to control the spread of viral respiratory infections in HCWs, including COVID-19, it is necessary to review the management of health information to identify who they are, how many they are, and to what situations these workers are most frequently exposed, as well as in what professions they have. This information can guide specific, practical, and far-reaching actions.

Keywords: Brazil; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; flu-like syndrome; health-care workers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Incidence rates of clinical and epidemiological data of cases of flu-like syndrome in Brazil a, considering health care workers (HCWs) and general community. DATASUS, Population Census b and National Register of Health Establishments, 2020. a It is equivalent to the total number of cases in the largest states of each macro-region in the country, considering the number of municipalities. The data was updated until 27 June 2020. b The values of the 2010 census were adjusted considering the population projection for 2020 of the IBGE. ICU: intensive care unit.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Incidence rates of clinical and epidemiological data of cases of flu-like syndrome in Brazil a, considering health care workers (HCWs) and general community. DATASUS, Population Census b and National Register of Health Establishments, 2020. a It is equivalent to the total number of cases in the largest states of each macro-region in the country, considering the number of municipalities. The data was updated until 27 June 2020. b The values of the 2010 census were adjusted considering the population projection for 2020 of the IBGE. ICU: intensive care unit.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relative distribution of occupation of health professionals notified as cases of flu-like syndrome in Brazil a, according to sex, age group, and states. DATASUS, e-SUS Notifica. a It is equivalent to the total number of cases in the largest states of the country, considering the number of municipalities. The data updated until 27 June 2020. Note 1: percentage was estimated considering the total (N = 186,044) of reported cases. Note 2: the total of missing or unknown data for the sex variable among health professionals was 11 cases. Therefore, for the sex variable, N = 186,033.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relative distribution of occupation of health professionals notified as cases of flu-like syndrome in Brazil a, according to sex, age group, and states. DATASUS, e-SUS Notifica. a It is equivalent to the total number of cases in the largest states of the country, considering the number of municipalities. The data updated until 27 June 2020. Note 1: percentage was estimated considering the total (N = 186,044) of reported cases. Note 2: the total of missing or unknown data for the sex variable among health professionals was 11 cases. Therefore, for the sex variable, N = 186,033.
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