title: Cholera in Brazil during 1991-1998: socioeconomic characterization of affected areas.
abstract: The paper describes the trends in, and spatial patterns of, the incidence of cholera in Brazil from 1991 to 1998. During this period, 161,432 cases and 1,296 deaths from cholera were reported. The poorest (North and Northeast) regions of the country had the highest morbidity and mortality rates. The remaining regions had self-limited outbreaks. Seventy-eight percent of affected municipalities had populations of fewer than 30,000, and about 65% of them lived in rural areas. The affected municipalities of the North and Northeast regions had consistent indications of deprivation: average Human Development Index was 0.41, infant mortality rate 90.3%, average life expectancy 59.4 years, and adult illiteracy rate 46.5%. The epidemiological profile of the disease in Brazil highlights intra- and inter-regional socioeconomic differentials in the country and indicates the importance of planning and implementing public-health interventions and specific policies aimed at reducing health inequalities.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. eawaldma@usp.br
authors.forename: Eliseu Alves
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Waldman
authors.forename: José Leopoldo Ferreira
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Antunes
authors.forename: Lúcia Yazuko Izumi
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Nichiata
authors.forename: Renata Ferreira
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Rafael Carvalho
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Cacavallo
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002771:Cholera / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors