Visceral Leishmaniasis in Marabá

This is an image science poster about the increasing of Leishmaniasis disease in Marabá-Para, Brazil. Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease considered a public health problem in several regions of the world, especially in those countries where necessary investments are lacking (Bangladesh, India, Brazil, Nepal, Ethiopia and Sudan). Leishmaniasis is caused by a parasitic protozoan of the genus Leishmania which is transmitted by the bite of the infected female of the sandfly mosquito of the genus Lutzomyia, L.longipalpis being the main species. The city of Marabá located in the southeastern portion of the state of PA is among the municipalities most affected and with a high concentration of LV cases. In 2015, there were 33 cases of the disease and five deaths, that number almost tripled in 2016, with 86 cases and by May 2017 there were 31 cases in the city. Between 2013 and 2015, Marabá showed a 1650% increase in the number of VL cases and a 500% increase in the number of deaths.  It is no exaggeration, therefore, to assert that the city is suffering from an outbreak of the disease and that the control strategies employed to date have not been effective. The program to combat visceral leishmaniasis adopted by the Brazilian government has its actions centred on the control of the canine reservoir and the application of insecticides. However, such measures have not been effective in reducing the incidence of the disease, determining a need for reassessment of the actions proposed by the Visceral Leishmaniasis Control Program (PCLV). In the last five years, more than 5.000 dogs were killed in Marabá, due to positive Leishmaniasis results. Despite a large number of animals being euthanised, the number of cases in humans has not been reduced. Otherwise, it increased more than 1000%. Considering the current situation of LV in Brazil, it is urgent that disease control strategies be re-evaluated. Knowing that the main transmission factors are related to the socio-environmental factors and the vector ecology, the measures to be adopted must be based on the local identification of the risk factors, on the population's awareness of the problem and on the population's recognition of the factors risk and personal risk of contracting the disease.