Pathogen Pollution: Viral Diseases Associated with Poor Sanitation in Brazil

Abstract

Brazil faces many types of pollution, including atmospheric CO2 pollution due to Amazon deforestation, pollution by heavy metals, microplastics, pesticides, pathogens, and other classes of environmental contaminants. Pathogen pollution refers to (I) the introduction of a pathogen to a new host species or population and (II) a concept used in the study of pathogenic organisms in water or terrestrial ecosystems. Anthropogenic activities are the leading forces of pathogen pollution in both contexts previously cited. In this Opinion article, we discuss the impacts of pathogen pollution on public health, infectious diseases emergence, and ecosystems using mosquito- and water-borne viral diseases in Brazil as case studies. Finally, we advocate improvements and expansion in sanitation systems, considering sewage treatment and soil waste management, as an umbrella factor to minimize risks and spreading of pathogen pollution in Brazil.