Epidemiology of arthropods envenomation in Brazil: a public health issue
Pedro Henrique Cardoso de Castro, Ana Luiza Bittencourt Paiva, GUSTAVO VINÍCIUS M. PEIXOTO, Bárbara Bruna Ribeiro Oliveira-Mendes, Paula Calaça, Alessandra Matavel
Abstract
Brazil is located between the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn, which allows diverse climates, reliefs, and habitats for arthropods, which sting represents a risk to human health and a public health issue. This manuscript updates the epidemiological data of cases of human envenoming by spiders, scorpions, and insects with medical relevance in Brazil from 2010 to 2021. Epidemiological data were taken using the Brazilian Notifiable Diseases Information System. Statistics of non-parametric data used the Kruskal-Wallis followed by the Nemenyi test. On average, more than 145,000 envenomation and 145 deaths are recorded annually, and more than 60% of deaths are caused by scorpion bites. When the number of deaths was pondered by the number of cases with each arthropod, bees kill the most. Most stings cause mild symptoms and affect men of working age. The incidence decreases during the colder months, which is better noticeable in regions with well-defined seasons. The distribution is distinct among the regions: Southeast, Northeast, and South have the highest rate of bites. The growing number of cases of envenomation reported annually is a serious public health concern, especially involving scorpions, and highlights the importance of studying arthropod venom and improving the therapies.