Accidents caused by venomous animals in the Northeast region of Brazil: Epidemiological profile of the last five years
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i1.47896Keywords:
Accidents caused by venomous animals; Venomous animals; Epidemiology; Public Health.Abstract
The study aimed to analyze the epidemiological profile of accidents caused by venomous animals in the Northeast region of Brazil between 2018 and 2022. It is a descriptive, retrospective study with a quantitative approach, using data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), accessed through DATASUS. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed, such as age group, gender, type of animal involved, time to medical care, and case outcomes. The results showed 475,409 notifications during the period, with highlights for the states of Bahia (27.25%) and Pernambuco (22.28%), while Sergipe had the lowest number of records (2.67%). The highest incidence occurred among adults aged 20 to 59 years and in rural areas, often associated with agricultural activities. Scorpions accounted for most cases (62.63%), followed by snakes and bees, with variations between states. Most victims received care within three hours, with Alagoas standing out for the best indicators. Seasonality was observed, with peaks during warmer and rainy months. Most cases were classified as mild (83.19%), and the predominant outcome was recovery (87.36%). It is concluded that accidents involving venomous animals in the Northeast region are influenced by climatic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. The implementation of public policies focused on prevention, health education, and improved access to medical care is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with these accidents.
References
Albuquerque, O. N., et al. (2023). Acidentes por animais peçonhentos em Pernambuco: Panorama epidemiológico das notificações na VI Gerência Regional de Saúde (Arcoverde-PE), Brasil. Open Minds International Journal, 4(4), 5–20.
Amado, T. F., et al. (2021). Vulnerable areas to accidents with scorpions in Brazil. Tropical Medicine & International Health: TM & IH, 26(5), 591–601.
Amorim, M. L. P., et al. (2024). Brown spiders (Loxosceles) are taking hold in Pernambuco, Brazil: A case series, 2018-2022. Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde: Revista do Sistema Único de Saúde do Brasil, 33, e2023568.
Braga, J. R. M., et al. (2021). Epidemiology of accidents involving venomous animals in the State of Ceará, Brazil (2007–2019). Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 54, e05112020.
Chiaravalloti-Neto, F., et al. (2023). Spatiotemporal Bayesian modelling of scorpionism and its risk factors in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 17(6), e0011435.
Coelho, G. R., et al. (2021). Neglected venomous animals and toxins: Underrated biotechnological tools in drug development. Toxins, 13(12), 851.
Dias da Silva, W., et al. (2022). Antibodies as snakebite antivenoms: Past and future. Toxins, 14(9), 606.
Furtado, A. A., et al. (2020). Biology, venom composition, and scorpionism induced by Brazilian scorpion Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones: Buthidae): A mini review. Toxicon: Official Journal of the International Society on Toxinology, 185, 36–45.
Gonçalves, J. E., et al. (2020). Acidentes por animais peçonhentos: Uma análise do perfil epidemiológico na região Nordeste do Brasil no período de 2010 a 2019. Research, Society and Development, 9(10), e4679108843.
Guerra-Duarte, C., et al. (2023). Scorpion envenomation in Brazil: Current scenario and perspectives for containing an increasing health problem. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 17(2), e0011069.
Hamza, M., et al. (2021). Clinical management of snakebite envenoming: Future perspectives. Toxicon: X, 11, 100079.
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). (2021). Estatísticas oficiais. https://www.ibge.gov.br/acesso-informacao/estatisticas.html
Konstantyner, T. C. R. de O., et al. (2022). Trend in the incidence rates of accidents with venomous animals in children and adolescents in Brazil (2007–2019). Revista Paulista de Pediatria, 41, e2021272.
Kos, B. M., et al. (2020). Acidentes por animais peçonhentos nos estados da região Nordeste: Uma análise epidemiológica. Revista Multidisciplinar de Educação e Meio Ambiente, 1(1), 18.
Laustsen, A. H., et al. (2020). Editorial: Novel immunotherapies against envenomings by snakes and other venomous animals. Frontiers in Immunology, 11, 1004.
Lima, M. E., et al. (2010). Toxinology in Brazil: A big challenge for a rich biodiversity. Toxicon: Official Journal of the International Society on Toxinology, 56(7), 1084–1091.
Machado, J. P. V., et al. (2023). Incidence related to accidents caused by venomous animals in the Northeast Region of Brazil: A spatial approach and spatio-temporal retrospective (2008 to 2017). Acta Tropica, 239, 106786.
Martinez, P. A., et al. (2022). Venomous animals in a changing world. Global Change Biology, 28(12), 3750–3753.
Matos, R. R., & Ignotti, E. (2020). [Incidence of venomous snakebite accidents by snake species in Brazilian biomes]. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 25(7), 2837–2846.
Matos, V. D., Rocha, G. S., & Faria, T. A. V. (2024). Acidentes com animais peçonhentos: Um estudo epidemiológico comparativo entre as grandes regiões brasileiras nos anos de 2020–2022. The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 28, 103771.
Moreira, W. C., et al. (2022). Epidemiological aspects of accidents by poisony animals in Northeast Brazil. Revista de Pesquisa Cuidado é Fundamental Online, 14.
Moura-da-Silva, A. M. (2022). Celebrating 120 years of Butantan Institute contributions for toxinology. Toxins, 14(2), 76.
Nunes, M. L. C., et al. (2022). Acidentes com animais peçonhentos no Brasil: Uma revisão integrativa. Arquivos de Ciências da Saúde da UNIPAR, 26(2), 147–157.
Pereira A. S. et al. (2018). Metodologia da pesquisa científica. [free e-book]. Editora UAB/NTE/UFSM.
Shitsuka, R. et al. (2014). Matemática fundamental para tecnologia. (2ed.). Editora Erica.
Silva, et al. (2023). Who are the most affected by Bothrops snakebite envenoming in Brazil? A clinical-epidemiological profile study among the regions of the country. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 17(10), e0011708.
Souza, T. C. de, et al. (2022). Temporal trend and epidemiological profile of accidents involving venomous animals in Brazil, 2007–2019. Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde, 31(3), e2022025.
Tavares, A. V., et al. (2020). Epidemiology of the injury with venomous animals in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast of Brazil. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 25(5), 1967–1978.
Toassi, R. F. C. & Petry, P. C. (2021). Metodologia científica aplicada à área da Saúde. (2ed.). Editora da UFRGS.
Vieira, S. (2021). Introdução à bioestatística. Ed. GEN/Guanabara Koogan.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Láyla Lorrana de Sousa Costa; Francisco Tiago de Sousa Amaral; Francisco das Chagas Araújo Sousa; Rebeca Araújo Dias
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.