A presença de Aedes aegypti em pontos estratégicos na cidade de Uberlândia (MG)

Abstract

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Strategic Points (SPs) are non-residential household properties whose activities have the potential to create and spread the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Among the SPs of greatest entomological concern are tire shops, junkyards, cemeteries, airports, and recycling depots. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of Aedes aegypti in SPs and its correlation with cases of dengue reported in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil. METHODS: A non systematic bibliographic and documentary review, mathematical calculations and analyses, basic correlation statistics (Pearson), and simple linear regression of the Building Infestation Indices (BIIs) of the SPs compared with reported cases of the disease. Secondary data were also used, collected in partnership with the Aedes control program of the Health Surveillance Unit (UVS) and the Epidemiological Surveillance Department (VIGEP) for the year 2021. RESULTS: By the end of 2021, there were 495 registered SPs in Uberlândia (MG). A total of 10,559 household visits were carried out across 26 entomological cycles, with an average of 406 SPs visited per cycle and 2,311 visits not completed, showing a variation in the Pendency Index (PI) from 4.65% (23) to 59.19% (293) per cycle. The annual average of building infestation was 30.15%, and per cycle it ranged from 0.2% (1) to 22% (90) of properties with mosquito presence relative to the number of visits per cycle. Based on the thresholds for dengue transmission risk, four cycles showed a satisfactory BII below 1%; eight cycles were in the alert range (1% to 3.9%); and 14 were classified as high risk (above 3.9%). The observed correlation between the BIIs of SPs and the reported dengue cases during the period was 0.73. CONCLUSION: A positive and relatively strong correlation between the variables was observed, indicating that for each unit increase in the BII of SPs, an increase of 2.51 in reported dengue cases is expected in the city. The study highlights the existence of monitoring without effective control of the mosquito's presence in registered areas, showing that SPs are not only locations that facilitate the introduction and proliferation of the vector but are also key areas where indicator results tend to significantly influence the rise in disease notifications in Uberlândia (MG). Therefore, the dissemination and qualification of indicator results associated with SPs are essential to promote the right to individual and collective public health, particularly regarding public policies for Aedes aegypti control and disease prevention. Keywords: Strategic Points; Aedes aegypti; Dengue; Uberlândia (MG).