Operational failures of leprosy control in household social networks with overlapping cases in endemic areas in Brazil

• Published in: Epidemiologia e serviços de saúde Vol. 29; no. 4; p. e2019465
• Main Authors: Boigny, Reagan Nzundu, Souza, Eliana Amorim de, Ferreira, Anderson Fuentes, Cruz, Jessica Reco, García, Gabriela Soledad Márdero, Prado, Nília Maria Brito de Lima, Silva, Gilberto Valentim, Barbosa, Jaqueline Caracas, Silva, Rayane Lima da, Oliveira, Maria Leide Wand Del Rey de, Nobre, Mauricio Lisboa, Ramos Júnior, Alberto Novaes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: 01.01.2020
• ISSN: 2237-9622
• DOI: 10.5123/s1679-49742020000400004

OBJECTIVETo analyze institutional/programmatic vulnerability of health services in the development of health care actions for people affected by leprosy and contact surveillance. METHODSThis was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 based on primary data from a sample of leprosy cases notified between 2001-2014 with overlapping cases in household social networks (HSN) in municipalities in the states of Bahia, Piauí and Rondônia, Brazil. RESULTSA total of 233 leprosy cases were analyzed, 154 (66.1%) belonged to HSN with 3 or more leprosy cases. In 53.2% of cases, 2 or more generations were affected, this being an outcome associated with absence of dermato-neurological examination (prevalence ratio 1.32; confidence interval [95%CI 1.10;1.59]; p-value=0.004). CONCLUSIONOperational failures in the surveillance of leprosy contacts in areas of high endemicity reinforce the character of institutional/programmatic vulnerability in HSN contexts with more than one case of leprosy in the three states analyzed.