Epidemiological aspects of dengue in the region of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil (2006-2010)

Abstract

The goal of this paper was to study the epidemiological aspects of cases of dengue in the population of Mossoró. We conducted an observational descriptive study analyzing the variables: diagnosis confirmation, sex, age, lethality, final classification and time of the year, obtained from notification forms of the National Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN), from 2006 to 2010. There were 1,917 dengue cases confirmed, with an annual incidence ranging from 51 to 539/100,000 inhabitants (2009 and 2008). Most cases were of classic dengue fever (87.95%); however there is an increasing trend on hemorrhagic dengue and dengue with complication cases over the years. The highest lethality rate was 1.40% in 2007. Cases of dengue were slightly more prevalent in females (52.63%), the most affected age group was 20 to 50 years and the time of the year that presented the largest number of cases was during the months of March, April, and May.