RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BASIC SANITATION AND THE INCIDENCE OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN THE HEALTH MACRO-REGIONS OF THE STATE OF MARANHÃO

Abstract

Basic sanitation is crucial for quality of life, as the lack of this service can spread infectious diseases due to lack of hygiene and access to drinking water. Data from 2019 indicate that 86.9% of the population of Maranhão does not have sewage collection, resulting in more than 38 thousand hospitalizations for waterborne diseases. This study aims to investigate the relationship between basic sanitation and the incidence of infectious diseases in Maranhão, highlighting the need for more effective sanitation plans. This is a descriptive study and uses a quantitative approach, collecting secondary data from DATASUS on the situation of sanitation and infectious diseases in the health macro-regions of Maranhão. The information was extracted through a specific process on the website, covering the period from 2014 to 2017. The data were organized in Excel spreadsheets for analysis and visualization. The results reveal that the northern macro-region of Maranhão has 55.98% of families without adequate sanitation, while the east and south have 29.44% and 14.57%, respectively. Schistosomiasis, a disease transmitted by contaminated water, had the most cases in the northern region of the state. The data indicate that regions with inadequate sanitation have high infection rates, demonstrating a correlation between the absence of sanitary sewage and the increase in diseases such as amoebiasis and schistosomiasis. The study concludes that the macro-regions analyzed show a clear proportional relationship between the inadequacy of sanitation and the incidence of infections, reinforcing the urgency of interventions in the area of sanitation to improve the health of the population.