Brazil’s large size (more than 8.5 million km2 and 150 million population) and inadequate public health infrastructure pose a considerable challenge in assessing the status of emerging infectious diseases. Under the current system, most infectious diseases are not notifiable. In diseases for which notification is required, underreporting is common and varies widely by region and disease, and no...

drome and the US smallpox vaccination program have demonstrated the vulnerability of healthcare workers to occupationally acquired infectious diseases. However, despite acknowledgment of risk, the occupational death rate for healthcare workers is unknown. In contrast, the death rate for other professions with occupational risk, such as police officer or firefighter, has been well defined. With ...