Notification of the HTLV virus becomes compulsory for pregnant women and children

Virus infections Human T-Cell Lymphotropic (HTLV) in pregnant women, parturient women, postpartum women and children exposed to the risk of vertical transmission became compulsory notification in Brazil. This means that healthcare professionals from public and private services must compulsorily communicate the cases to Ministry of Health .

In a note, the ministry informed that the inclusion of HTLV in the national list of compulsory notification of diseases, conditions and public health events allows estimating the number of people with the disease. virus and the amount of inputs needed, in addition to qualifying the care network to serve this population.

The next step, according to the ministry, is the definition – among federal, state and municipal entities – of universal screening of pregnant women and confirmatory tests, as approved by the National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies in the Unified Health System (Conitec) this year .

“In addition, case definitions and notification instruments will be carried out; the qualification of municipal and state epidemiological surveillance teams; establishing the notification flow; and monitoring cases”, added the ministry.

Virus

HTLV, from the same family as HIV, was discovered in the 1980s. The virus mainly infects cells of the immune system and has the ability to make them lose their function of defending the body.

The infection is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as leukemia, adult T-cell lymphoma (ATLL), and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM). Other manifestations such as infectious dermatitis, uveitis, sicca syndrome, interstitial keratitis, Sjögren's syndrome, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, myositis and arthritis, although less severe, are also associated with the virus.

Treatment is targeted according to the HTLV-related disease. The patient must be monitored in health services and, when necessary, receive follow-up in specialized services for diagnosis and early treatment of diseases associated with the virus.

Numbers

The federal government estimates that more than 800,000 people are infected with HTLV in Brazil. The virus can be transmitted during sexual intercourse without using a condom and by sharing syringes and needles.

HTLV can also be transmitted vertically, from mother to child, especially via breastfeeding and, more rarely, during pregnancy and at the time of birth.

The ministry's goal is to eliminate vertical transmission of HTLV by 2030, an objective aligned with the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).