Research supported by FAPESP indicates high prevalence of HIV and syphilis in the largest mining area in Brazil
A study conducted by researchers from (University of São Paulo), Santa Casa de São Paulo and Adolfo Lutz Institute identified a high prevalence of (sexually transmitted infections) between residents of mining areas in southwest Pará, especially in the municipality of Itaituba, which houses the largest gold extraction area in the country. Preliminary data, collected in 2024, suggest that this population is more exposed to infections such as syphilis and hepatitis B and C than the national average.
The work, financed by, also included malaria testing, as well as clinical and anthropometric interviews and evaluations. The team mapped vulnerabilities associated with geographic isolation, scarcity of health services and greater contact with sex professionals – common in corrutelas, commercial nuclei near mines.
According to Professor Aluisio Segurado, project coordinator at the USP School of Medicine, the accelerated economic transformations in the region intensified the impacts on public health. The project entitled “Saúde Vale Ouro” seeks to understand the prospecting profile of prospectors to STIs and the influence of gender and masculinity relations in this context.
The initial approach to the research was ethnographic, with observations and interviews conducted in 2023. This phase allowed the team to establish bonds with local residents and adapt the profile of study participants, expanding focus beyond sex workers. Researcher Marcia Couto, from USP, and Maria Amelia Veras, from Santa Casa, joined this stage alongside professionals from the Itaituba Health Department.
“There is a fluidity in female work. Some women reported sex in exchange for money without identifying themselves as sex professionals. This shows the need to consider the local context to understand risk dynamics,” said Paulo Abati, infectologist and doctoral student at FM-USP, who works in the research field coordination.
The study also highlighted the need to include malaria between the analyzed diseases, due to the high incidence and the potential impact on the prospectors’ immune system. The region, according to the researchers, has precarious housing and sanitation conditions, favoring both the transmission of ISTS and infectious diseases such as malaria.
Consolidated data have not yet been released, but the first results indicate that the prevalence of HIV and syphilis in the prospector population is higher than the national average. HIV patients were sent for treatment in the public health network, with the support of local agents, fundamental for the access of research to these isolated communities.
In addition to ISTS, the survey investigated aspects of mental health, alcohol use and other drugs, and metabolic risk factors. The team highlighted the central role of community agents and endemics, who enjoy great confidence among residents and facilitated the logistics and acceptance of the research.
The study also had technical support by Rafaela Maciel Del Nero and was attended by Silvia Di Santi and Mariana Ascha, from the Adolfo Lutz Institute, in the analysis related to malaria.
The results should be published in 2025. It is expected that the study contributes to public policies focused on the health of populations in difficult to reach and with a high degree of social vulnerability.
With information from.
