Resumo

LIMA, Ana Antunes Fonseca; MELO FILHO, Djalma Agripino de; FERREIRA, Luiz Oscar Cardoso  e  ALENCAR, Airlane Pereira de. Description of the endemic-epidemic process of viral meningitis in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil, between 1998 and 2008. Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde [online]. 2011, vol.20, n.2, pp.223-232. ISSN 1679-4974.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S1679-49742011000200011.

OBJECTIVE: to describe the endemic-epidemic process of viral meningitis in the Municipality of Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil, between 1998 and2008, according to the characteristics of the individual, time and location. METHODOLOGY: this ecological study on time trends identified epidemics through control diagrams and comparisons of the disease characteristics between endemic and epidemic periods. RESULTS: 4,754 cases were recorded in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (Sinan) and the annual incidence rate ranged from 13.86 to 86.41 per 100,000population/year; there was no seasonality, although two epidemics occurred; the first, in 2002, produced 551 cases (37.66/100,000) and the second, in 2007, produced 1,755 cases (111.92/100,000); occurrences of headache, fever and vomiting were frequent, and children and males were at greater risk; during endemic periods, the incidence rate was highest among children under one year of age; in epidemic periods, the rate was highest among those between five and nine years of age. CONCLUSION: viral meningitis presented distinct patterns in endemic and epidemic periods.

Palavras-chave : viral meningitis; epidemic; infectious diseases; epidemiological surveillance.

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