Keywords
Epidemiological Monitoring
Disease Notification
Health Information Systems
Public Health
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Abstract
Objective: To critically analyze evidence published between 2015 and 2025 on dengue underreporting and processes related to loss, delay, or distortion of notifications in Brazil. Methods: An integrative review was conducted in VHL, PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, and Web of Science, with searches completed in November 2025. DeCS and MeSH descriptors, free-text terms, and Boolean operators were combined. Records were managed in Rayyan; titles and abstracts were independently assessed by two reviewers, with a third reviewer consulted when disagreements occurred. Results: A total of 1,864 records were retrieved, of which 535 were removed as duplicates. Following screening, 17 publications underwent full-text assessment and six composed the synthesis. Evidence addressed reporting delay and timeliness, operational weaknesses, diagnostic and healthcare limitations, changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and territorial implications of data quality. Final considerations: Underreporting encompasses distinct processes that produce different distortions in surveillance and should not be interpreted as a single measure. Heterogeneity among publications and the absence of a formal risk-of-bias assessment limit direct comparison of the findings.
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