The Court of Justice of Minas Gerais determined, this Tuesday (17), that the municipality of Guimarânia compensate the widow and children of a public servant who died of hantavirus, due to inadequate working conditions.
The decision recognized that it was contracted during professional activity, due to the lack of protective equipment. In addition to the compensation, the payment of a monthly pension was determined based on the victim’s salary.
The values were set at R$50,000 in compensation, in addition to the monthly pension corresponding to 2/3 of the salary received by the server, until the date on which he would turn 73 years old. Reimbursement of R$2,700 was also established for funeral expenses.
The server was a machine operator and worked on the demolition of a dilapidated house under the responsibility of the municipality. According to , the place was infested with rats, the main transmitters of hantavirus.
The expert found that the working conditions were inadequate and that the worker did not use appropriate equipment, such as masks, goggles and latex gloves. The report indicated that inhalation of dust and contact with rat feces and urine at the site caused the infection.
Convicted in the first instance, the municipality appealed. Guimarânia claimed that there was no evidence that the contamination occurred during the work and suggested that the victim could have already been ill before the work was carried out.
Hantavirose
According to the Ministry of Health, hantavirus is an acute viral zoonosis that can occur in some wild rodentscapable of eliminating the virus through urine, saliva and feces.
Rodents can carry the virus throughout their lives without showing symptoms. In humans, the first signs of the disease can appear between three and 60 days after infection.
Initial symptoms include fever, joint pain, headache, lower back pain, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Although the disease is registered in all regions of Brazil, the South, Southeast and The Midwest concentrates the highest percentage of confirmed cases.
Infections occur mainly in rural areas, in occupational activities related to agriculture. The most affected group is men between 20 and 39 years old.
The average fatality rate is 46.5%, and most patients require hospital care.
*Under the supervision of Thiago Félix
