| Summary: | The municipality of Cratéus, located in the western state of Ceará, Brazil has a high number of cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). VL is caused by Leishmania infantum chagasi, which infects humans and other mammals. The life cycle of this parasite includes an invertebrate host, the sandfly (Diptera: psycodidae), considered the main vector of L. infantum chagasi in Brazil. The LV has distribution in all regions of the world, being absent only in Antarctica. In Brazil, recorded about 3,000 new cases of leishmaniasis each year in which the Northeast region has 77 % of these. In the state of Ceará, the LV is currently is in process of extension in magnitude and geography. This work consisted in analyzing the occurrence of LV, such as geography, age and seasonality in the municipality of Cratéus. In the period from 2003 to 2013 were reported seventy-seven cases of VL, with a prevalence of 81.82 % in the urban area, with an average of seven cases per year. There was an increase in the number of cases of this disease in the municipality of Cratéus until 2006, which recorded the highest incidence (21.97 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). In the three years following, remained an average of ten cases per year and from 2010 there was a significant reduction, with an average of 2.5 cases per year, which recorded one, four, three and two cases of VL in the years 2010, 2011 and 2013 respectively. Given these findings, it is clear the need for further studies on the phlebotomine fauna of this city, considering the period and climatic factors and improve the information on seasonality so that we can strengthen the control strategies of the LV. O município de Crateús, situado na região oeste do estado do Ceará, Brasil apresenta elevado número de casos de Leishmaniose Visceral (LV). A LV é causada pelo protozoário Leishmania infantum chagasi, que infecta o homem e outros mamíferos. O ciclo de vida deste protozoário inclui um hospedeiro invertebrado, o flebotomíneo (Diptera: psycodidae), considerado o principal vetor da L. ...
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