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A critical perspective of prion disease surveillance in Brazil

Breno José Alencar Pires Barbosa1, Maria Luiza Vasconcelos Montenegro2, José Eriton Gomes da Cunha3

  • 1Medical Science Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.

Frontiers in Neuroscience
|February 16, 2026
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Brazil

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Prion diseases (PrD) are fatal, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorders.
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is the most common subtype of PrD.
  • Brazil's Ministry of Health (MH) established CJD surveillance in 2005, but faces challenges in creating a reliable database.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the Brazilian Prion Disease surveillance system.
  • To understand the epidemiological profile of CJD in Brazil.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective and descriptive study.
  • Analysis of CJD surveillance epidemiological records from 2005 to 2021.
  • Data sourced from the MH's Epidemiological Bulletin (2022).

Main Results:

  • 1,576 suspected CJD cases reported, primarily in the Southeast, South, and Northeast regions.
  • Predominant age groups: 55-74 years (60.2%).
  • Confirmed cases: 34.7% (65.6% laboratory, 29.4% clinical-epidemiological).

Conclusions:

  • Significant underreporting of CJD cases in Brazil, with an expected 3,200 cases versus reported figures.
  • MH data limitations due to database design and document mismatches hinder accurate PrD profiling.
  • Brazil's PrD surveillance requires improvement, including a dedicated CJD database and accurate data management.
Keywords:
Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndromedementianeurocognitive disordersprion diseasespublic health surveillance

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