Spatio-Temporal Analysis of STI Notifications in Brazilian Municipalities and the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Bruna I. S. Pereira Universidade de São Paulo (USP) https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3600-9010
• Ana Luisa Lemos Bezerra Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
• Anderson B. S. Lavinscky Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
• Elucir Gir Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
• Mirela T. Cazzolato Universidade de São Paulo (USP)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbbd_estendido.2026.249646

Resumo

STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) monitoring in Brazil has been an ongoing effort since the 1980s. With the establishment of DATASUS in 1991, it became possible to track annual variations in notifications across Brazilian municipalities. However, data from 2020 and 2021 reveal a significant drop in reported cases, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study conducts a spatio-temporal analysis of STI notification time series covering Brazilian state capitals and neighboring municipalities, investigating whether this decline occurred in a systematic and geographically distributed manner. Experimental results uncover a consistent similarity pattern across states, pointing to a structural reduction in notifications during the pandemic period.

Palavras-chave: Sexually transmitted infections, COVID-19, spatio-temporal analysis, HIV, acquired syphilis, hierarchical clustering, time series

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