Spatial-temporal evolution of tuberculosis incidence rates in indigenous and non-indigenous people of Brazil, from 2011 to 2022

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To describe the space-time evolution of TB incidence rates (TI) in indigenous and non-indigenous people, according to the Federative Units (UF) of Brazil, from 2011 to 2022.

Methods:

Ecological, temporal, and spatial study on new tuberculosis cases in Brazil among indigenous and non-indigenous populations. Data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan) were collected from 2011 to 2022 and stratified by Federal Unit, explored and statistically analyzed using R software version 4.2.3.

Results:

The mean TI among indigenous populations in Brazil was 71.7 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while for non-indigenous populations it was 28.6/100,000 inhabitants. The regions of the country that presented the highest (mean) incidence among indigenous populations were: Central-West (102.8/100,000 inhabitants), Southeast (99.6/100,000 inhabitants), and North (79.9/100,000 inhabitants). For non-indigenous populations the highest incidence was in the North region (36.5/100,000 inhabitants), followed by the Southeast (31.3/100,000), and the Northeast (27,4/100,000 inhabitants). The analysis showed that the highest incidence of TB cases among indigenous populations occurred in the states of: SP, RO, RJ, MS, MT e PA.

Conclusion:

High incidence of the disease compared to the non-indigenous population show the need for a specific approach to address the health needs of these populations. Regional disparities in incidence indicate the need to address socioeconomic and infrastructure issues that affect the health of indigenous populations.

Keywords:
Indigenous peoples; Tuberculosis; Spatial analysis; Epidemiology; Incidence