The Family Health Strategy and Health Surveillance: is it possible to integrate?

This article analyzes the integration between Health Surveillance (HS) and Primary Health Care (PHC) in the Unified Health System (SUS), focusing on the fight against dengue and the challenges faced over the past 30 years of the Family Health Strategy (FHS). This work is an exploratory-descriptive study, developed in three stages: 1) a documentary review of SUS regulations to identify convergences and divergences in the guidelines for integrating health services and PHC; 2) a scoping review to map Brazilian experiences of articulation between the two; and 3) an analysis of secondary data from the Arbovirus Monitoring Panel and the National Census of PHC units, using dengue as a tracer condition. Between 2016 and 2022, Brazil witnessed a worsening of health indicators, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an increase in the incidence of dengue. The results highlight the need for intersectoral policies and coordinated actions between FHS and HS teams. Despite progress, obstacles to integration persist, such as the fragmentation of actions and the scarcity of resources. The conclusion is that integration requires structural changes to strengthen local governance and social participation, allowing dengue and health emergencies to be tackled more effectively.