A estratégia de Saúde da Família no controle da tuberculose em Curitiba (PR)

Abstract

Tuberculosis defined by some as the 'neglected calamity' is still an important public health problem. To try to improve results in tackling the disease, actions have been decentralized to the level of Primary Health Care (PHC), which has been demanding a new direction in the Family Health Strategy (FHS). This research sought to analyze the evolution of the FHS in the municipality of Curitiba between the years 2000 and 2009 and its impact on incidence rates of tuberculosis. The aggregate-type ecological study with a longitudinal territorial time-series base was the methodology used. Data collection was conducted from October 2010 to July 2011. The main results revealed a marked increase of 127.63% in the number of Family Health Teams, with a 76.28% increase of coverage. There was also concern about the ongoing training of these teams, which reflected positively in increasing the number of diagnostic tests performed, reducing the number of new cases, the proportion of individuals abandoning treatment and the mortality rate related to tuberculosis. From the research conducted it can be seen that there has been a correction in the direction of actions to control the incidence of tuberculosis in the municipality of Curitiba.