A city-wide sanitation intervention was started in Salvador, Brazil, in 1997 to improve sewerage coverage from 26% of households to 80%. Our aim was to investigate the epidemiological effect of this city-wide sanitation programme on diarrhoea morbidity in children less than 3 years of age. The investigation was composed of two longitudinal studies done in 1997-98 before the intervention (the sanitation programme) and in 2003-04 after the intervention had been completed. Each study consisted of a cohort of children (841 in the preintervention study and 1007 in the postintervention study; age 0-36 months at baseline) who were followed up for a maximum of 8 months. Children were sampled from 24 sentinel areas that were randomly chosen to represent the range of environmental conditions in the study site. At the start of each study an individual or household questionnaire was applied by trained fieldworkers; an environmental survey was done in each area before and after introduction of the sanitation programme to assess basic neighbourhood and household sanitation conditions. Daily diarrhoea data were obtained during home visits twice per week. The effect of the intervention was estimated by a hierarchical modelling approach fitting a sequence of multivariate regression models. Diarrhoea prevalence fell by 21% (95% CI 18-25%)-from 9.2 (9.0-9.5) days per child-year before the intervention to 7.3 (7.0-7.5) days per child-year afterwards. After adjustment for baseline sewerage coverage and potential confounding variables, we estimated an overall prevalence reduction of 22% (19-26%). Our results show that urban sanitation is a highly effective health measure that can no longer be ignored, and they provide a timely support for the launch of 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation.

A peer-reviewed open access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Nos últimos cinco anos, o Brasil foi palco de grandes desastres ambientais de proporções mundiais. Em 2015, o rompimento da barragem da mineradora Samarco de Fundão, em Mariana, Minas Gerais, considerado o maior do gênero registrado, contaminou territórios ribeirinhos e marítimos de aproximadamente 650 km, com danos materiais e sanitários que perdurarão por longos anos. Em 2018, envolvendo o mesmo grupo minerador, houve o rompimento da barragem da mina Córrego do Feijão, em Brumadinho, também em Minas Gerais, resultando na morte de 254 pessoas até o momento ². Esse representa o maior acidente de trabalho com óbitos registrados no país. Nas tragédias das mineradoras, o setor saúde, nas três esferas de governo, se manteve como ator secundário e sem capacidade de assegurar qualidade assistencial em saúde para as populações atingidas.

The association of infantile diarrhoea with the presence of garbage in the environment was investigated in Canabrava, a peripheral neighbourhood of Salvador, northeast of Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted with all the 184 children aged less than two years residing in Canabrava, which is located close to the city garbage dump. Variables selected for study included the method used for the disposal of excrement, type of floor, mother's education, unemployment of the head of the family, regularity of the water supply, presence of toilet, storage of garbage inside the house, age, gender, duration of breastfeeding, and the number of people per room. The estimated prevalence of diarrhoea was 21.2%. Exposure to garbage in the environment was found to be the most important factor associated with diarrhoea (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.98, 95% CI 1.56-10.13). Other important variables were the mother's education (AOR = 2.79, 95% CI 1.09-7.13), maternal breastfeeding (AOR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.05-5.04), and unemployment of the head of the family (AOR = 2.09, 95% CI 0.93-4.69). These findings indicate the necessity of adopting solutions in the public domain and of intersectorial policies for the reduction of diarrhoea.

O Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) no Brasil não tem garantido o direito universal à saúde do trabalhador das categorias não assalariadas que não dispõem de proteção empregatícia ou suporte institucional típicos do mercado formal de trabalho. O presente estudo teve o objetivo de analisar os riscos e os agravos relacionados ao trabalho de pescadores e marisqueiras artesanais para contribuir com a construção de uma política de saúde do trabalhador não assalariado. Trata-se de um estudo de caso com metodologia qualitativa e abordagens etnográfica, ergonômica e de vigilância em saúde. O estudo foi realizado em comunidades de pescadores artesanais e marisqueiras, durante o período de 2005 a 2010. Os resultados evidenciaram: sobrecarga ergonômica condicionada por exposição a riscos variados; precárias condições de vida; invisibilidade dos acidentes e das doenças do trabalho, como lesões por esforço repetitivo; inexistência de ações de prevenção e de assistência à saúde; e a importância dos saberes tradicionais na organização do trabalho na pesca artesanal. O SUS e a Rede Nacional de Saúde do Trabalhador poderiam assegurar ações de vigilância em saúde do trabalhador, realização de exames médicos ocupacionais e melhoria do reconhecimento das doenças do trabalho, garantindo a inclusão do direito à saúde do trabalhador às categorias artesanais e não assalariadas.

Quality of life is an indicator of how well one perceives that he/she is functioning physically and mentally. The aim of this paper is to determine the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of artisanal fisherwomen/shellfish gatherers from the Saubara municipality in Bahia, Brazil in comparison to the general population. A structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 209 artisanal fisherwomen selected at random. The HRQOL questionnaire, known as the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey version 1 (SF-36v01), was also used, having been translated and verified cross-culturally for the Brazilian population. Sociodemographic, lifestyle and comorbidity information was also collected. Chronic diseases and indicators of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were self-reported. The study population consisted primarily of individuals between 30 and 45 years of age (78%), of self-classified races black or brown (96.2%), with no more than an elementary school education (77%) and married (64.6%). In all the SF-36v01 dimensions, the values in the sample were lower than in the general population of Brazil, which was used as the reference population. In the “Physical Health” domain (Physical Functioning; Physical Role Limitations; Bodily Pain; General Health Perception) a tendency toward a lower health-related quality of life was observed among those who were older, had a lower education level, and had a prevalence of MSDs, hypertension or arthritis. The interference of health conditions linked to the fisherwomen’s work activities may contribute to lower HRQOL in all analyzed aspects, in comparison to the general population. In light of these findings, public health policies must consider these informal workers who contribute greatly to Brazil’s economy and food system.