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Basic sanitation: a new indicator for the spread of COVID-19?
Renata R Silva1, Caique J N Ribeiro2, Tatiana R Moura3
1Health Sciences Postgraduate Program, Federal University of Sergipe, Rua Cáudio Batista, s/n, Palestina, CEP 49060-108, Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
|February 6, 2021
Summary
Poor basic sanitation in Brazil is linked to higher COVID-19 spread and mortality. Regions with inadequate water and sewage services, particularly in the North and Northeast, showed increased disease rates, highlighting sanitation
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Basic sanitation is a potential indicator for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) transmission.
- Understanding space-time patterns is crucial for disease elucidation and risk factor identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between basic sanitation indices and COVID-19 rates.
- To analyze the spatial distribution of COVID-19 in relation to sanitation across Brazilian municipalities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized COVID-19 case data from Brazil (February 28 - May 31, 2020).
- Included independent variables related to basic sanitation infrastructure.
- Employed spatial autocorrelation analysis to identify risk clusters.
Main Results:
- High COVID-19 incidence correlated with poor water service coverage (0-25%) and substandard tap water quality.
- Elevated mortality rates were associated with inadequate sewage collection (0-25%) and treatment (25-50%).
- Significant spatial clusters of high incidence and mortality, linked to poor sanitation, were identified in Northern and Northeastern Brazil.
Conclusions:
- Precarious basic sanitation infrastructure is potentially associated with high transmission rates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Brazil.
- Socioeconomic factors in poorer regions exacerbate the impact of poor sanitation on disease spread.
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