Dengue mortality and social vulnerability in Brazilian macro-regions: an ecological study from 2019 to 2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17058/reci.v16i.20656Keywords:
Dengue, Social Vulnerability, Mortality, Observational Studies, Ecological StudiesAbstract
Background and Objectives: Arboviruses represent a significant threat to global public health, affecting billions of people. Among them, dengue stands out as an acute and debilitating infection, with a significant impact in Brazil. This study aims to analyze dengue mortality and its association with the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) across Brazilian macro-regions between 2019 and 2023. Methods: An ecological, observational, and descriptive study was conducted using data from the Mortality Information System (SIM/DATASUS) and the Social Vulnerability Atlas, aggregated by macro-region and year. Deaths due to dengue (ICD-10 codes A90 and A91) were analyzed, and incidence rates, mortality rates, and proportional mortality were calculated. The Shapiro-Wilk normality test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation were used to assess the association with the SVI. Results: Between 2019 and 2023, dengue-related deaths were analyzed across Brazilian macro-regions, with the highest absolute concentration observed in the Southeast region (median of 417 deaths; IQR 200–506). The Central-west showed the highest proportional mortality (0.0021; IQR 0.0017–0.0024). Statistically significant differences were observed between macro-regions (p < 0.05). No statistically significant correlation was found between SVI and proportional dengue mortality (r = -0.21; p = 0.32). Conclusion: Dengue mortality showed a heterogeneous distribution in Brazil between 2019 and 2023. The association with the SVI was not statistically significant, suggesting the influence of other structural and healthcare-related factors at the macro-regional level.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Marina Henriques Amaral, Giovanna Xavier Toledo, Edna Lúcia Campos Wingester, Anna Carolina Vieira Felício, Henrique Amaral Brasil
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