EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MALARIA, TUBERCULOSIS, AIDS, AND VIRAL HEPATITIS AMONG THE POPULATION IN AMAZONAS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON INDIGENOUS AND BLACK POPULATIONS
TL;DR
Curbing the spread of infectious diseases among minority groups—such as Indigenous communities and traditional populations—requires coordinated actions involving territorial protection, specialized primary care, and respect for interculturality.
Abstract
Introduction: The occurrence of infectious diseases can be strongly driven by social determinants of health, such as barriers to accessing medical services, socioeconomic vulnerability, and inadequate housing. Objective: To describe the epidemiology of malaria, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, and AIDS among the population of Amazonas, with an emphasis on Black and Indigenous populations. Methodology: This is a retrospective descriptive study using a quantitative approach to public data to perform descriptive statistical and temporal trend analyses. Only data from the epidemiological bulletin published on the website of the Amazonas Health Surveillance Foundation (FVS-RCP) covering the years 2021 to 2025 were included. Results: During the period, malaria recorded the highest number of cases (300,755), with the majority (60%) occurring in males. Of this total, 136,313 cases (45.3%) were among Indigenous people and 5,461 (1.8%) among the Black population. The remaining cases occurred among White, *Pardo* (mixed-race), and Asian individuals (141,774; 47.1%). Regarding tuberculosis, there were 19,779 cases; of these, 934 (4.7%) were Indigenous and 626 (3.2%) were Black, with 65% being male. Among White, *Pardo*, and Asian individuals, there were 1,560 (7.9%) cases. As for viral hepatitis, there was a total of 3,024 cases; of these, 153 (3.1%) occurred among Indigenous people and 142 (4.7%) among Black people. Among White, *Pardo*, and Asian individuals, there were 3,024 (9.7%) cases. Regarding AIDS cases, there were 3,720 recorded instances during the period; of these, 119 (3.2%) involved Black individuals and only 45 (1.2%) involved Indigenous people, while the remainder occurred among individuals of mixed-race (*pardos*), White, and Asian backgrounds (164 = 4.4%). Conclusion: Curbing the spread of infectious diseases among minority groups—such as Indigenous communities and traditional populations—requires coordinated actions involving territorial protection, specialized primary care, and respect for interculturality.