Malaria remains a major public health problem in Brazil where Plasmodium vivax is the predominant species, responsible for 82% of registered cases in 2013. Though benign, P. vivax infection may sometimes evolve with complications and a fatal outcome. Here, we report a severe case of P. vivax malaria in a 35-year-old Brazilian man from a malaria endemic area, who presented with reversible myocarditis.

OBJETIVO: Analisar as estratégias que influenciam a efetividade do tratamento da tuberculose em Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS). MÉTODOS: Levantamento epidemiológico, descritivo, retrospectivo, envolvendo os prontuários médicos de 588 pacientes com tuberculose cadastrados no programa de controle da tuberculose, entre janeiro de 2004 e dezembro de 2008, em duas UBS - Centro de Saúde Escola do Marco (CSEM) e UBS da Pedreira (UBSP) - localizadas na cidade de Belém (PA). Os critérios de exclusão foram ter idade < 18 anos ou > 59 anos e ter alta por transferência ou mudança de diagnóstico. Os dados coletados foram idade, sexo, tipo de tratamento (autoadministrado ou supervisionado), coinfecção por HIV e desfecho do tratamento. Os profissionais de saúde envolvidos no programa da tuberculose das duas UBS foram entrevistados quanto às estratégias utilizadas no controle da doença e à rotina de atendimento. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferenças significativas quanto a idade, sexo e coinfecção com HIV nas duas UBS. A utilização de tratamento supervisionado foi significativamente maior no CSEM que na UBSP, assim como a taxa de cura, enquanto a taxa de abandono foi maior na UBSP que no CSEM. CONCLUSÕES: Para pacientes cadastrados em programas de controle da tuberculose em UBS no Brasil, o tratamento supervisionado provavelmente é uma estratégia de extrema importância para se alcançar uma menor taxa de abandono.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the treatment strategies that influence the effectiveness of tuberculosis treatment at primary care clinics (PCCs) in Brazil. METHODS: This was a descriptive, retrospective epidemiological survey based on the medical records of 588 tuberculosis patients enrolled in the tuberculosis control programs at two PCCs located in the city of Belém, Brazil: Centro de Saúde Escola do Marco (CSEM) and Unidade Básica de Saúde da Pedreira (UBSP). The survey was limited to patients enrolled between January of 2004 and December of 2008. We included only patients between 18 and 59 years of age, and we excluded those who were transferred or were found to have been misdiagnosed. We collected data regarding age, gender, type of treatment (self-administered or supervised), co-infection with HIV, and treatment outcome. The health professionals involved in the tuberculosis control program at the two PCCs were interviewed regarding the strategies used for tuberculosis control and regarding routine clinical care for tuberculosis patients. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the CSEM and UBSP patients regarding age, gender, and co-infection with HIV. Supervised treatment was used significantly more frequently and the rate of cure was higher at the CSEM than at the UBSP, whereas the rate of treatment noncompliance was higher at the UBSP than at the CSEM. CONCLUSIONS: For patients enrolled in tuberculosis control programs at PCCs in Brazil, supervised treatment appears to be an extremely important strategy for reducing the rate of treatment noncompliance.