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Hidden leprosy in a low-endemic area in southern Brazil: changes in endemicity following an active search.
Vitiritti, Bruno; Lima, Filipe Rocha; de Castilho, Nara Tescke; Somensi, Lincon Bordignon; Ogoshi, Rosana Cláudio Silva.
Afiliación
  • Vitiritti B; Universidade Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe, Departamento de Medicina, Caçador, SC, Brasil. Electronic address: aids.saude@cacador.sc.gov.br.
  • Lima FR; Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil.
  • de Castilho NT; Vigilância Epidemiológica de Caçador, Caçador, SC, Brasil.
  • Somensi LB; Universidade Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento e Sociedade, Caçador, SC, Brasil.
  • Ogoshi RCS; Universidade Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento e Sociedade, Caçador, SC, Brasil.
Braz J Infect Dis ; 28(4): 103853, 2024.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39053886
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Leprosy, a neglected tropical disease, is reported in over 120 countries, with upwards of 200,000 new cases annually. This Cross-Sectional Cohort Study aimed to delineate the epidemiological profile of leprosy in a low-endemic area in southern Brazil, both before and after implementing an active search strategy.

METHODS:

The study examined two surveillance periods in Caçador, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The active search strategy was carried out through the application of the LSQ by the community health workers as a screening and detection tool for new cases of leprosy and this was compared with passive case detection. The first spanned from 2014 to 2020, and the second from January 2021 to August 2023.

FINDINGS:

48 leprosy cases were reported throughout the study, 83.3 % of which were diagnosed as multibacillary. The first period had an average detection rate of 0.38 cases per 10,000 inhabitants, increasing to 1.19 cases per 10,000 inhabitants in the second period. Notably, there was a substantial shift in the degree of physical disability (GD), with more Grade 0 and Grade 1 disabilities observed post-active search. MAIN

CONCLUSIONS:

The study underscores the efficacy of active search strategies in early diagnosis, highlighting a 300 % increase in the annual average of diagnosed cases. This large number of detected cases demonstrates the high sensitivity of the LSQ. This approach significantly aids in uncovering hidden cases of leprosy, enhancing disease management and control in low-endemic areas indicating that the Ministry of Health should intensify leprosy control activities in these regions.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Enfermedades Endémicas / Lepra Límite: Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged País/Región como asunto: America do sul / Brasil Idioma: En Revista: Braz J Infect Dis Asunto de la revista: DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Brasil
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar en Google

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Enfermedades Endémicas / Lepra Límite: Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged País/Región como asunto: America do sul / Brasil Idioma: En Revista: Braz J Infect Dis Asunto de la revista: DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Brasil