Skip to main content
PMC home page
Bulletin of the World Health Organization logoLink to Bulletin of the World Health Organization
. 1995;73(3):315–319.

Spatial patterns of leprosy in an urban area of central Brazil.

C M Martelli 1, O L Moraes Neto 1, A L Andrade 1, S A Silva 1, I M Silva 1, F Zicker 1
PMCID: PMC2486659  PMID: 7614663

Abstract

Reported is the spatial variation of leprosy in an urban area of Brazil and its correlation with socioeconomic indicators. From November 1991 to October 1992 a total of 752 newly diagnosed leprosy patients who were attending all outpatient clinics in Goiânia city, central Brazil, were identified. A database o leprosy cases was set up linking patients' addresses to 64 urban districts. Leprosy cases were detected in 86% of the districts and three risk strata were identified. The highest-risk area for leprosy was in the outskirts of the city and detection rates increased on moving from more developed to poorer areas. The risk of detecting leprosy cases was 5.3-fold greater (95% CI: 3.8-7.4) in the outskirts of the town than in the central zone. Discussed are the methodological issues related to leprosy case ascertainment, completeness and reliability of information, and the interpretation of the spatial distribution of leprosy per unit area. Highlighted also are the lack of leprosy control activities in primary health care units and the usefulness of geographical analysis in planning health services.

Full text

PDF
315

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Barreto M. L. Geographical and socioeconomic factors relating to the distribution of Schistosoma mansoni infection in an urban area of north-east Brazil. Bull World Health Organ. 1991;69(1):93–102. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fine P. E. Reflections on the elimination of leprosy. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1992 Mar;60(1):71–80. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Gesler W. The uses of spatial analysis in medical geography: a review. Soc Sci Med. 1986;23(10):963–973. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(86)90253-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Lombardi C. Evaluation of leprosy epidemiology in 12 countries of the Americas, 1980-1983. Bull Pan Am Health Organ. 1989;23(3):284–294. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. McDougall A. C. Leprosy control and the implementation of multiple drug therapy: to what extent can the operational strategy be simplified for primary health care? Lepr Rev. 1992 Sep;63(3):193–198. doi: 10.5935/0305-7518.19920024. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Meade M. S. Geographic analysis of disease and care. Annu Rev Public Health. 1986;7:313–335. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pu.07.050186.001525. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Mott K. E., Desjeux P., Moncayo A., Ranque P., de Raadt P. Parasitic diseases and urban development. Bull World Health Organ. 1990;68(6):691–698. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Motta C. P., Zuniga M. Time trends of Hansen's disease in Brazil. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1990 Sep;58(3):453–461. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Noordeen S. K., Lopez Bravo L., Sundaresan T. K. Estimated number of leprosy cases in the world. Bull World Health Organ. 1992;70(1):7–10. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Piantadosi S., Byar D. P., Green S. B. The ecological fallacy. Am J Epidemiol. 1988 May;127(5):893–904. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114892. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Polissar L. The effect of migration on comparison of disease rates in geographic studies in the United States. Am J Epidemiol. 1980 Feb;111(2):175–182. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112885. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Remme J. H., De Raadt P., Godal T. The burden of tropical diseases. Med J Aust. 1993 Apr 5;158(7):465–469. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1993.tb137576.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Richards F. O., Jr Use of geographic information systems in control programs for onchocerciasis in Guatemala. Bull Pan Am Health Organ. 1993;27(1):52–55. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rodrigues M. L., Silva S. A., Neto J. C., de Andrade A. L., Martelli C. M., Zicker F. Protective effect of intradermal BCG against leprosy; a case-control study in central Brazil. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1992 Sep;60(3):335–339. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Zicker F., Oliveira R. M., Luquetti A. O., Oliveira O. S., Smith P. G. Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among unskilled urban workers in central Brazil. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1989 Jul-Aug;83(4):511–513. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(89)90269-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Bulletin of the World Health Organization are provided here courtesy of World Health Organization

RESOURCES