Leprosy endemic characterization in Uberlândia-Minas Gerais, Brazil 1996-2000

Abstract

Aiming to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem in Brazil until 2005, the SUS (Unique Health System) in each city, with the purpose of descentralization of leprosy’s control actions, had the necessity of knowing the damage size through operational and epidemiological indicators and not detected (hidden) prevalence, in order to plan new action strategies and evaluate their results, respecting local and regional realities. Tocharacterize the leprosy endemy and estimate the occult prevalence in Uberlândia, a retrospective analitic study was realized with a survey of 613 dossiers of leprosy patients during the period from january, 1996 to december, 2000, by SINAN (Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação). The results showed an occult prevalence estimative of 146 cases until 2000, increasing the official prevalence from 4,47/10.000 inhabitants to a real prevalence rate of 7,39/10.000 inhabitants. The sanitary (health) districts with higher occult prevalence estimative also demonstrated an increase of the detection coefficient in people under 15 years old and coincided with those areas where predominated the old disease focus (clusters). With an identification of prioritary areas, tecnical and operational factors were listed as factors which impede the leprosy control. Therefore, it’s craved to touch the SUS managers in the city, in the direction of proposing a health policy which prioritizes the quality of assistence and it’s hierarchy by a resolutive capacity consolidated in the health professional’s competence and in the development articulation and society mobilization  echanisms to eliminate leprosy until 2010.