Abstract
We present a review of injuries in humans caused by aquatic animals in Brazil using the Information System for Notifiable Diseases [ Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN)] database. A descriptive and retrospective epidemiological study was conducted from 2007 to 2013. A total of 4,118 accidents were recorded. Of these accidents, 88.7% (3,651) were caused by venomous species, and 11.3% (467) were caused by poisonous, traumatic or unidentified aquatic animals. Most of the events were injuries by stingrays (69%) and jellyfish (13.1%). The North region was responsible for the majority of reports (66.2%), with a significant emphasis on accidents caused by freshwater stingrays (92.2% or 2,317 cases). In the South region, the region with the second highest number of records (15.7%), jellyfish caused the majority of accidents (83.7% or 452 cases). The Northeastern region, with 12.5% of the records, was notable because almost all accidents were caused by toadfish (95.6% or 174 cases). Although a comparison of different databases has not been performed, the data presented in this study, compared to local and regional surveys, raises the hypothesis of underreporting of accidents. As the SINAN is the official system for the notification of accidents by venomous animals in Brazil, it is imperative that its operation be reviewed and improved, given that effective measures to prevent accidents by venomous animals depend on a reliable database and the ability to accurately report the true conditions.
Highlights
We present a review of injuries in humans caused by aquatic animals in Brazil using the Information System for Notifiable Diseases [Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN)] database
From 2007 to 2013, 4,118 injuries by aquatic animals in Brazil were registered in the SINAN (Table 1)
The accidents by aquatic animals registered in the SINAN/
Summary
In the SINAN, envenomings/injuries by venomous animals are recorded in an electronic database called SINAN-Net. Since the version SINAN-Net was implemented in 2007, the field type of animal - fish was removed from the existing form, and accidents caused by aquatic animals were reported as accident type - other. Since the version SINAN-Net was implemented in 2007, the field type of animal - fish was removed from the existing form, and accidents caused by aquatic animals were reported as accident type - other This change in reporting is a matter of concern given that the treatment of accidents with high morbidity, such as those caused by stingrays and other aquatic animals, without any specificity can lead to the perpetuation of neglected health problems with important socio-economic and epidemiological impacts(8) (26). In the present study, we analyzed the accidents by aquatic animals registered in the SINAN database, described the epidemiological profile of these accidents in Brazil, and discussed possible inconsistencies in the analyzed records
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