Résumé
The objective of this article is to show that border spaces and twin cities are spaces of vulnerability for the health of their populations, meaning vulnerability as a socially produced process,but also influenced by the geographic context. Social and health indicators were selected and analyzed with a focus on vulnerability to vector-borne diseases, a major border problem in the current socio-sanitary context of Brazilian borders, and the decision was taken select two local twin cities in the region northern Brazil, Oiapoque in the state of Amapá and Saint Georges in French Guiana, as cities frequently hit by outbreaks and epidemics of malaria and arboviruses of international importance, such as malaria, dengue, Chikungunya and Zika. Fieldwork was carried out in the years 2015 and 2016 to collect information about the perception of health professionals and the population regarding these diseases and the health needs of the population in general. The results presented here refer primarily to malaria at this border. Aspects of health services and malaria surveillance were obtained through interviews and fieldwork. Results: Health vulnerability in the Brazilian-French Guiana border is related to poverty, lack of sanitation and high population mobility as well as many difficulties for surveillance, like the political barriers to care for foreign border patients, pointing to the need for cross-border cooperation and information sharing.