Study of mortality from infectious diseases in Brazil from 2005 to 2010: risks involved in handling corpses

Telma Abdalla de Oliveira Cardoso, Duarte Nuno Vieira

In the wake of disasters, the lack of information on how to handle and dispose of corpses leads the professionals involved in emergency operations to uncertainty about associated risks and safety precautions. The article seeks to establish the risks of the etiologic agents involved in Brazilian mortality due to infectious diseases and identify and discuss the main protection measures for professionals involved in handling of corpses in disaster situations. It involved a survey of deaths by infectious diseases in Brazil between 2005 and 2010, using data from the Mortality Information System. Of the 171,223 deaths analyzed, the pathogens leading to the greatest number of deaths were: HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Trypanosoma cruzi. 59% belonged to risk class 3 and 40.6% to risk class 2. Eight deaths were caused by risk class 4 pathogens, which represent high risk. The professionals involved in the handling of corpses may be exposed to chronic risks, such as viruses transmitted via blood, gastrointestinal infections and tuberculosis. These findings indicate the importance of investment in the preparation of measures to reduce the risk of infection associated with the handling of corpses.