Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in children and adolescents living in the Northeast region of Brazil. METHODS: Time series study with data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System, from the study of population estimates by municipality, age and sex from 2000 to 2021, and from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. An analysis of the temporal trends of the incidence rate was performed using the Joinpoint software, calculating the average annual percentage variation (AAPV) and its 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The percentage variation in incidence rates from 2020 to 2022 was also calculated to check whether they were below or above what was expected for the year and territory. RESULTS: From 2007 to 2022, 13,890 new cases of visceral leishmaniasis were reported in children and adolescents in Northeast Brazil. Changes in trends were identified with the addition of the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020 to 2022, in the Northeast: AAPV (2007-2019) 0.44; 95%CI -2.23; 3.18; AAPV (2007-2022) -7.95; 95%CI -13.63; -1.88), Pernambuco: AAPV (2007-2019) 6.77; 95%CI 2.04; 11.71; AAPV (2007-2022) -1.40; 95%CI -8.75; 6.53 and Alagoas: AAPV (2007-2019) 11.51; 95%CI 4.90; 18.53; AAPV (2007-2022) -1.33; 95%CI -14.89; 14.40). CONCLUSION: The Northeast and its states where changes in temporal trends were observed after the COVID-19 pandemic are priorities for the intensification of actions to combat and control the disease.