Since the beginning of 2023, a multidisciplinary team of researchers linked to the HARMONIZE project has been carrying out a study on the relationship between vector-borne diseases and the climate in the Brazilian Northeast. The team includes professionals from different areas of knowledge, such as geography, health, education and veterinary, linked to the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG) and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

Multidisciplinary team from UFCG and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation

One of the main objectives of the research is to understand microclimates and how they condition the occurrence of vector-borne diseases. Some of the microclimates identified were the fragments of the Atlantic Forest, the ‘Chapada da Borborema’, a plateau that  prevent the entry of humid air masses into the central semi-arid region of Paraíba - also known as 'sertão' - and the ‘Sertaneja Depression’, valleys, with low altitude, with slight wind circulation, 'thermal inversion' and episodes of intense heat.

This mosaic, which is both social, economic and climatic, will guide the HARMONIZE project's field research. It will determine the acquisition of secondary data and the interaction with local social actors (stakeholders).  It is a joint effort of researchers, managers and community leaders to understand how the ongoing changes in the climate may impact places with suspected foci of vector borne diseases. 

Other factors, indirectly associated with climate, may also influence the occurrence of diseases, such as water supply. Testimonials mentioned the impact of water supply from the São Francisco River to towns in the hinterland of the Paraíba state. This connection prevents water shortages in towns, but produces instabilities in the supply system.

The region is considered endemic for dengue, with a small incidence of other arboviruses (zika, chikungunya and yellow fever). Sporadic cases of leishmaniasis, both cutaneous and visceral, were also identified. Leishmaniasis infection is most prevalent in dogs. Also, entomological research was carried out on the infestation by phlebotomine sandflies, which transmit leishmaniasis. 

There are no records of new cases of Chagas disease in the region, but instead, remnants of exposures that occurred a few decades ago. However, UFCG researchers identified trypanosoma cruzi infections in dogs. This event deserves further investigation, as it could be a clue to clarifying its animal reservoirs, forms of exposure and landscapes associated with the transmission of the disease.