Tuberculosis incidence among health workers in Brazil from 2008 to 2018

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health challenge, especially for the lower income countries, which account for over 95% of cases. OBJECTIVE: To present TB incidence and coefficients among health workers in Brazil, from 2008 to 2018. METHODS: Descriptive study using TB records among health workers of both sexes registered in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (Sinan), the official Brazilian database. Absolute and relative frequencies, variation, and coefficients of incidence and mortality were presented for health workers. Relative risk (RR) and mortality ratio were calculated considering the general population. RESULTS:In Brazil, 10,728 cases of TB were reported among health workers from 2008-2018, rising from 793 cases in 2008 to 1,220 in 2018 (+54%). About 34% of cases occurred among men and 66% among women. The incidence coefficient remained stable in the period, going from 68.3 to 67.1 (x100,000 health workers) in 2008 and 2018, respectively (mean=66.5). In the period, 77 and 50.602 deaths occurred among health workers and general population, respectively. Compared to the general population, RR was 40% higher, and the mortality ratio was 80% lower among health workers (mean = 2.3 and 0.5 x100,000). CONCLUSIONS:An increased risk of TB was observed among health workers compared to the general population. However, the lower mortality rate suggests that health workers have better access to health treatment and higher recovery rates. It is highly recommended the promotion of continuous measures to prevent TB and to protect the health of workers exposed to biological risks, such as improving work organization and process and implementing actions to eliminate or minimize the related risks. KEYWORDS: Respiratory outcomes, Infectious diseases, Occupational exposures