Structural factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in an urban slum setting in Salvador, Brazil: A cross-sectional survey

by Mariam O. Fofana, Nivison Nery Jr, Juan P. Aguilar Ticona, Emilia M. M. de Andrade Belitardo, Renato Victoriano, R ôsangela O. Anjos, Moyra M. Portilho, Mayara C. de Santana, Laiara L. dos Santos, Daiana de Oliveira, Jaqueline S. Cruz, M. Catherine Muenker, Ricardo Khouri, Elsio A. Wunder Jr, Matt D. T. Hitchings, Olatunji Johnson, Mitermayer G. Reis, Guilherme S. Ribeiro, Derek A. T. Cummings, Federico Costa, Albert I. Ko BackgroundThe structural environment of urban slums, including physical, demographic, and socioeconomic attributes, renders inhabitants more vulnerable to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Yet, little is known about the specific determinants that contribute to high transmission within these communities. We therefore aimed to investigate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in an urban slum in Brazil. Methods and findingsWe performed a cross-sectional serosurvey of an established cohort of 2,041 urban slum residents from the city of Salvador, Brazil between November 2020 and February 2021, following the first Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic wave in the country and during the onset of the second wave. The median age in this population was 29 years (interquartile range [IQR] 16 to 44); most participants reported their ethnicity as Black (51.5%) or Brown (41.7%), and 58.5% were female. The median size of participating households was 3 (IQR 2 to 4), with a median daily per capita income of 2.32 (IQR 0.33 –5.15) US Do...
Source: PLoS Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Source Type: research