Situational diagnosis of the environmental conditions in the three districts with the highest incidence for visceral leishmaniasis in Araguaína, Tocantins, Brazil

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 300 million people are at risk of contracting leishmaniasis, with about two million new cases per year, being included as one of the main endemic diseases in the world. In Tocantins State, as a result of epidemiological ecologic changes as the construction of Palmas city; deforestation activities, the creation of domestic animals in backyards; the presence of animals loose on the streets; the invasion of forests by the urban perimeter; the intense migratory flow and the lack of basic health and structure led to the urbanization of the vector and the spread of disease. The objective of this work was to characterize the environmental aspects that may be favoring the multiplication of breeding grounds for the vector of visceral leishmaniosis in three districts (nova Araguaína, Araguaína sul e setor Maracanã) of Araguaína city. As result, the environmental impacts (Anthropogenic, Physical and Biological) identified by the ADHOC method, have shown us that the lack of sanitary hygienic structure of the studied neighborhoods as well as their environmental profiles have all the necessary conditions for increasing the incidence of visceral leishmaniosis.