Inês Fronteira

• RN, Msc, PhD
• Professor at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa

Objetivo analisar os documentos normativos que buscam garantir o direito à proteção social às pessoas acometidas por TB vigentes no Brasil em 2023. Método pesquisa qualitativa, do tipo documental, realizada em setembro de 2023, a partir do levantamento de documentos de âmbito nacional, estadual e municipal, provenientes de órgãos governamentais e i...

Objective to analyze the normative documents that seek to guarantee the right to social protection for people affected by tuberculosis in force in Brazil in 2023. Method qualitative documentary research carried out in September 2023, based on the survey of documents at the national, state and municipal levels, from government agencies and social co...

Objetivo analizar los documentos normativos que buscan garantizar el derecho a la protección social de las personas afectadas por tuberculosis vigentes en Brasil en el 2023. Método investigación documental cualitativa, realizada en septiembre del 2023, con base en el levantamiento de documentos en el ámbito nacional, estatal y municipal, provenient...

Background: We tested whether providing BCG vaccine to healthcare workers (HCWs) could reduce non-planned absenteeism and thereby reduce the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems in Africa. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, single-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized trial in Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique between De...

This article provides a snapshot of primary prevention activities in hospitals in 20 European high-income countries, based on inputs from experts of the Observatory's Health Systems and Policies Monitor (HSPM) network using a structured questionnaire. We found that in the vast majority of countries (15), there are no systematic national policies on...

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the scientific community to find and develop a vaccine to fight the disease. However, problems with achieving high vaccine coverage have emerged, even among high-risk groups such as healthcare workers (HCWs). Objective: The objective of this study is to examine factors that influence HCW’s and the gene...

The COVID-19 pandemic in Italy is a stark reminder of the necessity of incorporating the social, economic, and political context in planning responses to public health emergencies. During the ongoing global COVID-19 crisis, it's not just crucial but a shared responsibility to supplement epidemiological approaches with insights from the social scien...

RESUMO Objetivo Calcular o indicador de consumo de álcool per capita (APC) para o Brasil utilizando dados nacionais (APC Brasil), com vistas a estabelecê-lo como padrão ouro para o país em substituição ao indicador anteriormente calculado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) com base em dados internacionais. Métodos Foram selecionadas, no Bras...

Background Public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs) as the COVID-19 pandemic and others that have occurred since the early 2000s put enormous pressure on health and care systems. This is being a context for protests by health and care workers (HCWs) because of additional workload, working conditions and effects on mental and phys...

This study aims to analyze the feasibility of building an evaluative model for the management of the Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Program in the State of Roraima, located on the border between Brazil and Venezuela. This is an evaluability assessment, a type of study used as a pre-evaluation of the development and implementation stages of a p...

BACKGROUND Background: In Brazil, Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic, mirroring global trends. Despite advancements in HIV prevention, such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), uptake among different MSM age groups remains uneven, influenced by diverse sexual behaviors, risk perceptions, and social st...

Background The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG) against tuberculosis (TB) shows beneficial nonspecific effects, which are likely related to innate immune training. Until 2016, a single BCG dose was administered to all newborns in Portugal. In July 2016, a clinical guideline established that only children under 6 years belonging to high-risk g...

Background Health and care workers (HCW) faced the double burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: as members of a society affected by a public health emergency and as HWC who experienced fear of becoming infected and of infecting others, stigma, violence, increased workloads, changes in scope of practice, among others. To understand the short and long-t...

A pandemia da doença pelo coronavírus impacta sobremaneira a sociedade, gerando desafios sem precedentes para a ciência, para os sistemas de saúde e para a Atenção Primária à Saúde, que foram rapidamente cobrados por respostas diversificadas para o enfrentamento desta emergência de saúde pública. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade da A...

A pandemia da doença pelo coronavírus impacta sobremaneira a sociedade, gerando desafios sem precedentes para a ciência, para os sistemas de saúde e para a Atenção Primária à Saúde, que foram rapidamente cobrados por respostas diversificadas para o enfrentamento desta emergência de saúde pública. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade da A...

In this article we argue that the Member States of the European Union (EU) have consistently, since its inception, developed a shared framework to measure, monitor and intervene to improve the health status of its population, while invoking the subsidiarity principle for the health sector. As a result, a European Health Union (EHU) has been emergin...

Background This present study aimed to test whether providing Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine to health care workers (HCW) could reduce non-planned absenteeism due to infectious disease, including COVID-19, by 20% and thereby decrease the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in health care systems in Africa. Methods We conducted a sing...

Background Africa’s weaknesses in responding to public health emergencies triggered the University of Cabo Verde’s EDCTP/Africa CDC supported b-learning Field Epidemiology Program (2022–2024), after Mozambique´s and Angola’s experiences. The Program targets 15 students from Cabo Verde (CV)(6), Guiné-Bissau (GB)(6) and São Tomé e Príncipe (3). Group...

Background A consortium of African and European Universities, National Institutes of Public Health and Research Centers proposed a project to implement a Master’s in Field Epidemiology via blended-learning platforms based at University of Cape Verde. The field training is implemented with the National Institutes of Public Health of each country whe...

Background Health Care Workers (HCW) faced a high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, we described the presence and duration of anti-S and anti-N IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among HCW to evaluate the immunity response induced by either SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination. Methods Case-cohort study of 465 HCW from h...

Objective to analyze in the scientific literature the factors associated with latent infection by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Primary Health Care professionals. Method integrative review of the literature, with collection carried out between November and December 2021. The inclusion criteria were considered: Primary studies related to the theme...

BACKGROUND In observational studies and randomized trials from low-income countries, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine against tuberculosis has been associated with protection against non-TB infections. In other words, BCG has beneficial non-specific effects. The likely mechanism behind these effects is innate immune training. Until 2016,...

Background Tuberculosis is an infectious disease strongly influenced by social determinants closely associated with cycles of poverty and social exclusion. Within this context, providing social protection for people affected by the disease constitutes a powerful instrument for reducing inequalities and enhancing inclusion and social justice. This s...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted pre-existing weaknesses in health and care systems and services and shortages of health and care workers (HCWs). As a result, policymakers needed to adopt measures to improve the health and care workforce (HCWF) capacity. This review aims to identify countries’ range of policies and management interventi...

This study aimed to evaluate the sexual practices of men ages 50 years or older who have sex with men (MSM) and factors influencing their predisposition to use preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Brazil and Portugal with 718 MSM. Of these, 278 (38.7%) were categorized as being at high risk for HIV ba...

div>The uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have stimulated biomedical research worldwide to support evidence-based public health policies aimed at reducing the impact of COVID-19 on populations. the resulting urgency of decision-making in a pandemic context faced by Research Ethics Committees created new challenges leading to new reflect...

div>The uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have stimulated biomedical research worldwide to support evidence-based public health policies aimed at reducing the impact of COVID-19 on populations. the resulting urgency of decision-making in a pandemic context faced by Research Ethics Committees created new challenges leading to new reflect...

Objective: To evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on the knowledge of nursing professionals regarding standard precautions. Methods: This is an almost experimental study conducted with 100 nursing professionals. Data collection was performed using a sociodemographic characterization instrument and the Standard Precautions Knowledg...

Introduction Investigating the use and adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in MSM is a global health priority in the fight against HIV. Strategies must be capable of increasing usage and reaching not only the population living in the country but also those who immigrate, who face additional vulnerabilities. Based on this, in this observati...

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 misinformation among migrants aged 50 or older residing in Brazil and Portugal. Method: This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted among migrants from Portuguese-speaking countries living in Brazil and Portugal, who were 50 years of age or older. The prevalence rat...

Objetivo: Avaliar os conteúdos de desinformação relacionados a COVID-19 entre migrantes com 50 ou mais anos de idade residentes no Brasil e em Portugal. Método: Estudo transversal e analítico, com migrantes de países falantes do português residentes no Brasil e em Portugal que possuíam 50 anos ou mais de idade. O modelo de regressão de Poisson foi...

Notwithstanding the understandable rationale of the logical, expected and natural evolution of human behaviour towards an anthropocentric view of its relationship with other animals and the environment, a shift from this predatory “Ego-centric” behaviour towards an “Eco” conduct, with regard to their view of the world and of the global health, has...

Background Despite its relevance, health literacy and its impact on health-seeking behaviour and health outcomes tends to be poorly understood, and usually not assessed or integrated with health policies, especially in African countries. Objective To map existing evidence on the health literacy of adolescents and adults in African countries and pro...

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted pre-existing weaknesses in health and care systems and services and shortages of health and care workers (HCWs). As a result, policymakers needed to adopt measures to improve the health and care workforce (HCWF) capacity. This review aims to identify countries’ range of policies and management interventi...

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the scientific community to find and develop a vaccine to fight the disease. However, and despite the vaccines developed thus far, problems with achieving high vaccine coverages have emerged, even among high-risk groups such as health and care workers (HCW). The lack of experience with such extensive v...

Background Health and care workers (HCW) faced the double burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: as members of a society affected by a public health emergency and as HWC who experienced fear of becoming infected and of infecting others, stigma, violence, increased workloads, changes in scope of practice, among others. To understand the short and long-t...

We assessed challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presented for mental health systems and the responses to these challenges in 14 countries in Europe and North America. Experts from each country filled out a structured questionnaire with closed- and open-ended questions between January and June 2021. We conducted thematic analysis to investigate th...

BACKGROUND States and health systems had to make challenging resource allocation and capacity-building decisions to promote proper patient care, ensure health and care workers safety and well-being so that they can effectively address the present pandemic as well as upcoming public health problems and natural catastrophes. As innovations are in pla...

Background Countries and health systems have had to make challenging resource allocation and capacity-building decisions to promote proper patient care and ensure health and care workers’ safety and well-being, so that they can effectively address the present COVID-19 pandemic as well as upcoming public health problems and natural catastrophes. As...

Este estudo tem por objetivo apresentar as características sociodemográficas e clínicas dos óbitos maternos causados por covid-19, em uma maternidade de referência no Nordeste, Brasil. Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo, do tipo série de casos, descritivo, utilizando dados do Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade, fichas de investigação e fic...

Este estudo tem por objetivo analisar a tendência temporal da mortalidade materna e descrever as características sociodemográficas e causas de morte nas macrorregiões do Piauí. Tratou-se de um estudo ecológico de série temporal, com dados do Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade, de 2006 a 2021, analisados utilizando regressão de Prais-Winsten....

Strengthening strategies to improve adherence to the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in key populations constitutes a global health priority to be achieved across countries, especially in countries that share a high flow of people such as Brazil and Portugal. This study aimed to analyze the factors associated with adherence to PrEP among MSM...

The health of people, wild and domesticated animals, and natural living systems is syndemically connected, and this interplay is a pillar of the concept of One Health [...]

Objective: to map scientific evidence on the extent of tuberculosis in migrants from the international borders between Brazil and the countries of South America. Design: Scoping review of quantitative, qualitative and mixed studies. The research was conducted between February and April 2021. The terms "migrants", "tuberculosis", "Brazil", "Urugu...

•Multidimensionality of AMR determination argues in favour of considering it a glocal syndemic.•Lack of attention to syndemic nature of AMR limits the effectiveness of measures taken so far.•The syndemic approach provides policy makers with conceptual tools to design effective responses.

Background Tuberculosis (TB) in prisons usually occurs at higher rates than in the general population, especially in developing countries. TB has been reported as the most common cause of death among prisoners. Studies have shown limitations for early detection of TB in prisons that seem to result from mistaken concepts about TB, delayed diagnosis...

Objetivo: Mapear a produção do conhecimento científico acerca do consumo das mídias e o comportamento sexual de risco entre jovens. Métodos: Revisão de escopo, cuja questão de pesquisa foi elaborada de acordo com a estratégia PECO, realizada nas bases de dados: Literatura Latino Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (Lilacs); Medical Literatur...

Objetivo: Realizar validação de conteúdo e de aparência de um instrumento sobre a infecção latente por tuberculose em profissionais da área da saúde.Métodos: Estudo metodológico desenvolvido em três etapas, no período de maio a novembro de 202. Utilizaram-se as estratégias de Validação de Conteúdo por meio da técnica Delphi e de Validação de Aparên...

The Angolan State has been looking for a way to strengthen the health sector with a balanced workforce for which nursing is a cornerstone. This study reviews the evolution of nursing education in Angola, in order to better understand the contribution of the educational sector to nursing workforce development. Methods: Integrative review of unpublis...

BACKGROUND: The objective is to determine the impact of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine compared to placebo or no vaccine on COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations in healthcare workers. We are using a living and prospective approach to Individual-Participant-Data (IPD) meta-analysis of ongoing studies based on the Anytime Live and Lea...

Introduction Until 2014, there was already a significant burden of TB in Roraima, with this State being among the most affected ones in Brazil. Since 2015, though, there has been a progressive increase in cases of TB in the state of Roraima, with a notorious concentration of cases in Venezuelan migrants. Active international migration in border ter...

Objective This study aimed to analyze the existence of an association between the biopsychosocial profile of people affected and the number of self-reported clinical complications from COVID-19 in a Brazilian city. Methods This is a cross-sectional (baseline) study, nested in a cohort study, carried out with 217 confirmed cases of COVID-19, interv...

Objective To evaluate the effect of using a mobile application on knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus among university students. Method A before-and-after intervention study, with 196 university students, from August to December 2018. The intervention consisted of using the educ@aids mobile application for 15 days. Univariate analyzes wer...

Objective To evaluate the effect of using a mobile application on knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus among university students. Method A before-and-after intervention study, with 196 university students, from August to December 2018. The intervention consisted of using the educ@aids mobile application for 15 days. Univariate analyzes wer...

Purpose The CRIAS (Health trajectories of Immigrant Children in Amadora) cohort study was created to explore whether children exposed to a migratory process experience different health risks over time, including physical health, cognitive, socioemotional and behavioural challenges and different healthcare utilisation patterns. Participants The ori...

Objective: to analyze the direct and indirect effects of determinants of sexual exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus among male adolescents who have sex with men and the implications for nursing care. Method: cross-sectional study carried out with 578 Portuguese and Brazilian adolescents aged 18 and 19. Interrelationships of conjugal status...

Resumen Objetivo: analizar los efectos directos e indirectos de los factores determinantes de la exposición sexual al virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana entre adolescentes hombres que tienen relaciones sexuales con hombres y las implicaciones para el cuidado en enfermería. Método: estudio transversal, realizado con 578 adolescentes luso-brasileño...

Objective: to analyze the direct and indirect effects of determinants of sexual exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus among male adolescents who have sex with men and the implications for nursing care. Method: cross-sectional study carried out with 578 Portuguese and Brazilian adolescents aged 18 and 19. Interrelationships of conjugal sta...

We aimed to evaluate the associations between information searching about public health and social measures (PHSM) and university students' digital health literacy (DHL) related to the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3,084 Portuguese university students (75.7% females), with an average age o...

Introduction Immigrants carry an extra burden of morbidities and mortalities since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Pre-existing inequalities among immigrants may threaten their economic wellbeing during the pandemic. This study analyzed the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on immigrants and natives living in Amado...

(1) Background: Tuberculosis presents an epidemiological trend toward inequality, especially among people in social exclusion and situations of vulnerability. This study aimed to analyze territories with a concentration of people diagnosed with tuberculosis in a street situation and who partake in chronic use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs....

(1) Background: tuberculosis (TB) is considered one of the leading causes of death worldwide by a single infectious agent. This study aimed to identify hotspots of people diagnosed with tuberculosis and abusive use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in communities through a geospatial intelligence application; (2) Methods: an ecological study wit...

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is a public health problem worldwide. It is estimated that 90% of the patients diagnosed with TB live in vulnerable environments with limited health resources, such as individuals living in correctional facilities. This study aimed to identify the consump...

(1) Background: tuberculosis (TB) is considered one of the leading causes of death by a single in-fectious agent worldwide. This study aimed to identify hotspots of people diagnosed with tu-berculosis and abusive use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in communities through a geo-spatial intelligence application; (2) Methods: ecological study with...

Introduction: Implementation of prevention and control measures for communicable diseases in border regions can be challenging and lead to inefficient attempts to control them. We describe evidences on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges regarding implementation of health interventions for control, prevention and treatment of s...

(1) Background: tuberculosis presents an epidemiological trend towards inequality, especially among people in social exclusion and situations of vulnerability. To analyze territories where there is a concentration of people diagnosed with tuberculosis, in a street situation, and who make chronic use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. We will a...

Health literacy is a determinant factor for population health. It is important both for the prevention of health problems and the better management of those problems and unexpected situations that happen. Low health literacy has been consistently associated with poor health outcomes. This study aimed to develop a health literacy indicator for Angol...

Introduction: Portugal is one of the countries in Western Europe with the highest prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The prevalence among migrants is estimated to be higher than among non-migrants, which suggests a greater vulnerability of this population. Aim: To describe the distribution of TB, HIV and HIV-TB...

This paper conducts a comparative review of the (curative) health systems’ response taken by Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these Mediterranean countries shared similarities in terms of health system resources, which were low compared to...

Background Health literacy is an important skill to deal with and information and positively influences individual and community health. Information concerning health is available from a plethora of online resources. The concept of digital health literacy has gained prominence with the pandemic. The absence of valid tools to analyze digital literac...

The interdependence of humans, animals, plants, and their social and abiotic environment is highlighted by past and recent pandemics. A good example to understand and tackle threats to ecosystems is the COVID-19 pandemic. A syndemic is a complex and multilevel phenomenon of epidemics interacting synergistically at individual, societal, and environm...

O momento em que se intensifica o debate mundial em torno da Agenda 2030 e os Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) coincide com a ocorrência de pandemias que vêm causando graves danos em todo o mundo e desafiam a humanidade sobre o modo de como enfrentá-las, além de obrigar-nos a refletir e a agir rapidamente sobre suas causas e consequên...

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a complex phenomenon called the “infodemic” has emerged, compromising coping with the pandemic. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of agreement with misinformation about COVID-19 and to identify associated factors. A web survey was carried out in Portuguese-speaking countries in two stages: 1. the ident...

Background The aim of this study was to describe the temporal trend of tuberculosis cases according to sex and age group and evidence the level of disease before the Covid-19 pandemic in a TB high endemic city. Methods This was a time series study carried out in a city in northeast Brazil. The population was composed of cases of tuberculosis, excl...

Introduction Epidemiological, operational and socio-demographic data on leprosy, as well as its direct and indirect impact on the affected person, his/her family, and community, are included in the group of neglected diseases. Objective To analyze the association between the occurrence of physical disabilities in leprosy cases and individual vulne...