Impacto dos produtos de origem animal sobre as doenças transmitidas por alimentos no Brasil: 2015-2020

Abstract

Foodborne diseases are one of the main public health problems worldwide. Animal source foods are capable of causing disease in humans by increasing the chances of transmission of zoonotic pathogens from the ingestion of contaminated food. This study was divided into two chapters. Chapter 1 provides a theoretical framework about foodborne diseases, and includes a contextualization on the subject and a discussion of the main challenges and progress related to the problem of foodborne diseases in Brazil. Chapter 2 consists in a descriptive and epidemiological study that assesses the current situation (2015­2020) of the country in relation to these diseases, and how the consumption of animal source foods impacts this overview. The study was carried out using secondary data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, obtained through the e ­SIC platform. The process of epidemiological investigation of foodborne diseases in Brazil has progressed over the years, but it still faces challenges, mainly related to the strengthening of the National System for Epidemiological Surveillance of Foodborne Diseases. Regarding the situation of these diseases in the country, most of the outbreaks between 2015­2020 involved ignored foods (n = 2259; 66.66%), and among those of declared origin, 311 (27.52%) involved animal source foods. These foods also showed a 0.40% increase in the chance of involvement in cases of sick individuals due to ingestion of contaminated food (OR = 1.004; p = 0.001). Eggs and beef, in turn, were the most frequently incriminated in outbreaks in the period evaluated (n = 131; 42.13% and n = 58; 18.65%, respectively), and in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil the number of sick individuals to the detriment of the intake of products of animal origin was higher (n = 2191; 29.46% and n = 2369; 31.85%, in that order). Summer and spring presented, respectively, the highest values of notifications related to this category of food, and the joint presence of transmission factors in animal source foods increased the values of notifications (n = 104; 55.92%), sick individuals (n=3036; 62.78%) and hospitalized (n=333; 53.54%). The results demonstrate the potential of animal products as a means of transmitting zoonotic pathogens, and that actions for the control and prevention of foodborne diseases can actually reduce this risk.