Incidence of Reported Flu-Like Syndrome Cases in Brazilian Health Care Workers in 2020 (March to June)

Ada Ávila Assunção, Emanuella Gomes Maia, Renata Jardim and Tânia Maria de Araújo
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Ada Ávila Assunção: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Social, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Brazil
Emanuella Gomes Maia: Departamento de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus 45662-900, Brazil
Renata Jardim: Departamento de Educação e Saúde, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Lagarto 49100-000, Brazil
Tânia Maria de Araújo: Departamento de Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana 44036-900, Brazil

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Health care workers (HCWs) are at an increased risk of being exposed to COVID-19. This study aimed to characterize flu-like syndrome cases (FS) in HCWs notified in Brazil and compare them with FS cases in the general community (GC). In the Brazilian protocol, FS corresponds to a suspected case of COVID-19. The manuscript analyzed cases of FS in five Brazilian states, estimating the incidence rates of cases of FS and clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Registered cases (March to June 2020) totaled about 1,100,000 cases of FS. HCWs represented 17% of the registers, whose incidence was 20.41/100 vs. 2.15/100 in the GC. FS cases in HCWs concentrated the highest percentages in the age group of 30 to 49 years (65.15%) and among the nursing staff (46.86%). This study was the first interstate evaluation in Brazil to estimate suspected cases of FS by COVID-19 in HCWs. In order to control the spread of viral respiratory infections in HCWs, including COVID-19, it is necessary to review the management of health information to identify who they are, how many they are, and to what situations these workers are most frequently exposed, as well as in what professions they have. This information can guide specific, practical, and far-reaching actions.

Keywords: health-care workers; flu-like syndrome; Brazil; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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