Leprosy and Health Vulnerability in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Abstract

RESUMOO objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a distribuição espacial da hanseníase e sua relação com o Índice de Vulnerabilidade da Saúde (IVS). Tratase de estudo ecológico de múltiplos grupos de caráter analítico, realizado em Belo Horizonte, Brasil, utilizando os setores censitários como unidades de análise. Os dados dos casos de hanseníase, notificados entre 2004 e 2013, foram obtidos do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação. Para refletir as condições de vida adversas, utilizou-se o IVS 2012, indicador composto elaborado pela Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Belo Horizonte. Por meio do método bayesiano empírico global, obteve-se uma taxa suavizada. Os resultados revelam que as medianas das taxas de detecção de hanseníase tenderam a ser maiores à medida que se aumentava a vulnerabilidade segundo o IVS, sendo que nos setores pertencentes à categoria de risco muito elevado e elevado risco as medianas das taxas foram significativamente superiores às dos setores classificados em baixo e médio risco (p<0,001). As evidências oferecidas demonstram a necessidade de se intensificar medidas que visem à melhora das condições de vida da população, pois a hanseníase no município está diante de um padrão construído sob a marca de desigualdades, como atesta sua relação com IVS. Palavras-chave: Hanseníase; Epidemiologia; Vulnerabilidade em Saúde; Análise Espacial. ABSTR ACT The aim of this study was to analyze the spatial distribution of leprosy and its association with the Health Vulnerability Index (IVS in Portuguese

Spatial-temporal analysis of leprosy in a priority Brazilian northeast municipality for disease control

“…There is a need for investments in training healthcare professionals working in Family Health Strategy (FHS) to provide early diagnosis of the disease, in addition to the implementation of healthcare education strategies aimed at the population about stigma and prejudice, pointed out as factors that hinder the search for healthcare services for diagnosis (24) . About 85% of cases investigated were geocoded, a number similar to other studies (27)(28) , which founded rates of 81.4% to 87.4%. Regarding the non-geocoded cases, 15% presented inconsistencies in the addresses reported, even using the TerraView software and Batch Geocode, showing 10% with incomplete addresses and 5% blank.…”

Socioeconomic factors related to leprosy: an integrative literature review

“…In studies of different levels of spatial aggregation, housing conditions are strongly related to the transmissibility of leprosy, both in the general population and in children; this is because the number of people living in a house with limited space and without healthy conditions, promotes the vulnerability of the environment and favors illness (46) . Children who share these spaces with people with no established diagnosis and appropriate treatment are at increased risk of falling ill.…”

Trends and forecasts of leprosy for a hyperendemic city from Brazil’s northeast: Evidence from an eleven-year time-series analysis

“…The occurrence of leprosy among individuals younger than 15 years old confirms that active foci of transmission remain with early exposure to Mycobacterium leprae [44]. Potential explanations include difficulty establishing a clinical diagnosis, disease-related stigma, and the weak health promotion and education process, needing improvements in leprosy control actions in these areas [15,45,46].…”