DEP - Posters/abstracts em congressos nacionais
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- Brucellosis: the evolution of the disease in Portugal over two decadesPublication . Aires, Joana; Martins, Carla; Almeida Santos, JoãoBackground: Human and animal health are closely linked, with this relationship being a potential source of diseases to humans, with brucellosis being a classic example. Several prevention strategies have been successfully implemented to control brucellosis, but monitoring the disease is an essential instrument for early implementation of prevention measures, in order to mitigate any damage that an increase in cases may have on the human and animal population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the evolution of notified cases of human brucellosis in Portugal between 1998-2018. Methods: Retrospective observational study that included all reported cases of human brucellosis in Portugal, between 1998 and 2018 (last official public data available). Data was collected from reports made available by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS). Descriptive statistics (frequencies mean, median, proportions) by sex, age and geographic location were performed using Microsoft Excel® software. Results: Between 1998 and 2018, 3752 cases of brucellosis were reported in Portugal, the majority of which were male (n=2298, 61.2%), aged between 15 and 54 years (n=1870; 49.8%). With the exception of 2011, the number of cases reported in males was systematically higher than in females. The regions with the most reported cases are the North (n=1298; 34.6%) and Center (n=1323; 35.3%) of Portugal. The highest number of reported cases were recorded in North region (13 of the 21 years studied). The highest number of reported cases was observed in 1998 (n=817), while the lowest was observed in 2017 (n=16). The number of cases decreased substantially between 1998 and 2004 (variation of -82.6%), with this decline being interrupted by a small increase in cases in 2005. From 2005 onwards, the number of cases resumed its downward trend, although with some fluctuations and in a less pronounced way until 2018. Conclusion: In the last two decades, the number of reported cases of human brucellosis has decreased significantly. The improvement of the notification system, socioeconomic changes and animal brucellosis eradication programs are determining factors for this decrease. However, brucellosis is not eradicated in Portugal; therefore, the surveillance of human cases is essential to develop timely strategies for controlling brucellosis, not only at human level but also at animal and environmental levels.
- Hepatitis A in Portugal – epidemiological overview of incidence in the last decadePublication . Fonseca, Yasmin; Almeida, Ana; Almeida Santos, JoãoBackground. Hepatitis A is an acute liver disease with faecal-oral transmission caused by a hepatotrophic picornavírus - Hepatitis A Virus (HAV). Food contamination with HAV can occur at any time: cultivation, harvesting, processing, handling and even after cooking.1,2 Food and water contamination happens more frequently in developing countries where the disease is common but can also happen in developed countries. Although uncommon, foodborne outbreaks have occurred due to people consuming contaminated fresh and frozen imported food products. Therefore, monitoring the disease is an essential tool for the early implementation of preventive measures, applying the One Health approach to both the human and environmental dimensions to mitigate the impact that an outbreak may have on the population.3 Methods. Retrospective observational study, which analyses the incidence of reported cases of Hepatitis A in Portugal between 2012 and 2022. Data presented were collected from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Descriptive statistics were performed using Microsoft Excel® software. Results. Portugal had 806 cases of Hepatitis A between 2012 and 2022, the majority of which were male (n=597, 74.1%), aged between 25 and 44 years (n=397; 49.3%). Between 2012 and 2016, there was a gradual increase in incidence, from 0.1 in 2012 to 0.5 per 100 000 population in 2016. In 2017, there was a peak in incidence (4.7 per 100 000 population), corresponding to an outbreak of Hepatitis A that year. After 2017, the incidence gradually decreased. However, it never reached values lower than those of 2012, even during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the study period, the incidence in men and women was similar, except between 2016 and 2019, where the incidence in men was higher. In terms of age, the incidence of Hepatitis A by age group showed high heterogeneity over the years, without a predominance. Conclusions. In Portugal, the incidence, except for 2017, was relatively low. However, most diagnoses occur in adults when the disease can present greater severity, with consequences in terms of morbidity and mortality. The decrease in incidence is a good indicator of improved hygiene and sanitary conditions, but it increases the possibility of outbreaks since the population tends to see its natural immunity against the disease reduced. It is essential to monitor the incidence of the disease in the population of Portugal to develop timely public health strategies to control potential outbreaks of Hepatitis A. Strategies to be implemented must take into account not only the human dimension in terms of prevention with vaccination, diagnosis and treatment of the disease but also measures in the environmental dimension, since transmission of the disease occurs via the faecal-oral route, it is essential to implement legislation and measures that promote food and water safety and alert the population to risk behaviours. References. 1Hofmeister MG, Foster MA, Teshale EH. Epidemiology and Transmission of Hepatitis A Virus and Hepatitis E Virus Infections in the United States. 2019. 2Castaneda D, Gonzalez AJ, Alomari M, et al. From hepatitis A to E: A critical review of viral hepatitis. World J Gastroenterol 2021; 27: 1691–1715. 3Jefferies M, Rauff B, Rashid H, et al. Update on global epidemiology of viral hepatitis and preventive strategies. Australia World J Clin Cases 2018; 6:589–599.
- Serological evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a hospital based cohort study of healthcare workers following the 2023 COVID-19 vaccination programPublication . Almeida Santos, João; Gaio, Vânia; Amaral, Palmira; Henriques, Camila; Guiomar, Raquel; Machado, AusendaObjective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are a high-risk population to acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection and becoming a focus of transmission. It is therefore important to monitor these professionals, especially due to asymptomatic infections. The objective the study was to assess SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in healthcare professionals at a central Portuguese hospital using serological tests, three and six months after the 2023 COVID-19 booster vaccination program. Methods: A prospective cohort study was established through serological follow-up in a cohort of healthcare professionals from a central Portuguese hospital, with three rounds of tests: pre-COVID-19 vaccination (September/October 2023), 3 months (January/February 2024) and 6 months (April/May 2024) post-vaccination. IgG antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (anti-N) were measured. Data was analyzed trough descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, percentages) and infection rates at each testing moment (0, 3 and 6 months). Results: At baseline, all participants (n=177, median age: 47years, 77,4% females) had the complete primary COVID-19 vaccination, with 78% having received 2 additional booster doses prior to 2023 vaccination program. Pre vaccination, 48,6% (86/177) of HCWs had detectable anti-N IgG antibodies, of which 24,4% (21/86) self-reported having had a SARS-Cov-2 infection in 2022/2023. After 3 months, 17,7% (n=11/62) had detectable anti-N IgG antibodies although being negative in the pre-vaccination testing. After 6 months, 4,3% (n=2/47) had detectable anti-N IgG antibodies but were negative in the previous two rounds. Conclusions: During the study period, several cases of SAR-CoV-2 infection (n=13) were identified serologically among the HCW monitored, without concomitant signs and symptoms that would allow the identification of a potential infection. These results support that monitoring the infection among HCW (regardless of history of symptoms) can provide valuable information for assessing the level of exposure among hospital personnel and identifying high-risk departments. This information could allow early intervention by, for example, reminding and reinforcing the importance of personal protection standards for HCWs.