Estimating the public health burden of arbovirus-related complications in Brazil: A population-based big data project

Supported by the British Council Newton Fund (527418645)

Co-PIs: Dr. Elizabeth Brickley (LSHTM), Prof. Mauricio Barreto (CIDACS/Fiocruz), & Prof. André Portela (FGV/EESP)

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), including Dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), Yellow Fever (YFV), and Chikungunya (CHIKV), are climate-sensitive, neglected tropical diseases that threaten health, economic development, and social welfare in Brazil. In recent decades, global DENV incidence increased 30-fold, ZIKV-related microcephaly triggered a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, YFV was declared a WHO global threat, and CHIKV emerged in the Americas. Using “Big Data” routinely collected on more than 100 million individuals in Brazil from 2012 to 2018, this study is quantifying the burden of arbovirus infections on hospitalizations and deaths, investigating the determinants of infection and complications, and the impact of social protection policies. This project links LSHTM, CIDACS-Fiocruz, and FGV and brings together international expertise in big data, epidemiology, and economics in order to address critical knowledge gaps vital to reducing the impact of arboviruses in Brazil.

Publications

Paixao ES, Cardim LL, Costa MCN, Brickley EB, de Carvalho-Sauer RCO, Carmo EH, Andrade RFS, Rodrigues MS, Veiga RV, Costa LC, Moore CA, França GVA, Smeeth L, Rodrigues LC, Barreto ML, Teixeira MG. Mortality from Congenital Zika Syndrome - Nationwide Cohort Study in Brazil. N Engl J Med. 2022 Feb 24;386(8):757-767. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2101195. PMID: 35196428.

Barreto ML, Ichihara MY, Pescarini JM, Ali MS, Borges GL, Fiaccone RL, Ribeiro-Silva RC, Teles CA, Almeida D, Sena S, Carreiro RP, Cabral L, Almeida BA, Barbosa GCG, Pita R, Barreto ME, Mendes AAF, Ramos DO, Brickley EB, Bispo N, Machado DB, Paixao ES, Rodrigues LC, Smeeth L. Cohort profile: The 100 Million Brazilian Cohort. Int J Epidemiol. 2021 Dec 18:dyab213. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyab213. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34922344.

Lobkowicz L, Power GM, De Souza WV, Montarroyos UR, Martelli CMT, de Araùjo TVB, Bezerra LCA, Dhalia R, Marques ETA, Miranda-Filho DB, Brickley EB, Ximenes RAA. Neighbourhood-level income and Zika virus infection during pregnancy in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil: an ecological perspective, 2015-2017. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Dec;6(12):e006811. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006811. PMID: 34857522; PMCID: PMC8640636.