ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1642015
This article is part of the Research TopicIntegrated Public Health Approaches for the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases: Challenges and OpportunitiesView all 6 articles
Epidemiology of tuberculosis in Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 2013 and 2023 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Provisionally accepted
Renan Climeco do Bem Braga1
Igor Rosa Meurer1Maisah Meyhr D’Carmo Sodre2
Luciana Carvalho2
Lauro Juliano Marin2Marcelo Silva Silverio1Patricia Guedes Garcia1*- 1Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
- 2Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
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Background: Tuberculosis (TB), a disease caused by bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC), is one of the oldest diseases in human history, and despite several global efforts to reduce case numbers, it remains one of the main causes of death worldwide due infectious agents. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological trends of tuberculosis in Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 2013 to 2023, with emphasis on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on case notification. Methods: Based on epidemiological data obtained from the DATASUS platform, spanning the period from 2013 to 2023, the number of cases, the distribution of confirmed cases by sex, race, education, age group, HIV co-infection and presence of comorbidities such as diabetes, and risk factors like smoking and alcoholism were evaluated. Additionally, the municipalities with the highest number of confirmed cases were identified. Results: The research revealed a steady annual rise in TB cases, having the highest number of cases in 2023, with 12.55% of all reported cases. Men between 25 and 54 years of age, with a lower educational level, were the most affected by the disease. Regarding race, the majority of the reported cases were attributed to Brown-skinned people. The co-infection rate involving TB and HIV increased proportionally to the reported cases of TB statewide. Regarding comorbidities and risk factors, diabetes, smoking, and alcoholism composed a large part of the tuberculosis caseload, with alcoholism and smoking being especially related to the male population. Conclusion: The results reinforced the gravity of tuberculosis as a public health challenge, while highlighting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on underreporting and the subsequent increase in reported cases of drug resistance involving tuberculosis
Keywords: Tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, COVID-19, Epidemiology, Underreporting, Bacterial drug resistance, Public Health Surveillance
Received: 05 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Braga, Meurer, Sodre, Carvalho, Marin, Silverio and Garcia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Patricia Guedes Garcia, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
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