Open AccessImpact of the COVID-19 pandemic on coping with Leprosy in Sergipe, Brazil, 2020
Author(s) -
Rômulo Rodrigues de Souza Silva,
Thaís Silva Matos,
Tarcísio Fulgêncio Alves da Silva,
Rodrigo Feliciano do Carmo,
Márcio Bezerra Santos,
Divanise Suruagy Correia,
Michael Ferreira Machado,
Carolinne de Sales Marques,
Amanda Karine Barros Ferreira de Araújo,
Tânia Rita Moreno de Oliveira Fernandes,
Carlos Dornels Freire de Souza
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.5327/1516-3180.510
Subject(s) - leprosy , pandemic , population , medicine , epidemiology , demography , covid-19 , geography , environmental health , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , immunology , sociology
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the dynamics of other existing diseases in Brazil, such as Leprosy. Objectives: To analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on leprosy indicators in the general population and in children under 15 in the state of Sergipe, in 2020. Methods: An ecological time series study was carried out including all new cases of leprosy diagnosed and reported in the state of Sergipe between 2017 and 2020. The variables were analyzed: i. Number of new cases, monthly average and detection coefficient in the general population and in children under 15 years old/ 00 thousand inhabitants, ii. Proportion of ignored / blank / unclassified in the epidemiological variables, iii. Proportion of contacts of new leprosy cases that were examined during the year. A descriptive analysis was conducted. Results: In 2020, there was a 22.2% reduction in the number of new leprosy cases in the general population (325 in 2019; 253 in 2020) and a 44.4% reduction in the general detection coefficient (14.1/100 thousand in 2019; 7.9 cases/100 thousand in 2020). In children under 15 years old, there was a 50.0% decrease in records (22 cases in 2019; 11 cases in 2020) and 49.8% in the detection coefficient (4.2/100 thousand in 2019; 2.1/100 thousand in 2020). The number of municipalities without a record of the disease increased, both in the general population, which went from 25 (33.3%) municipalities in 2019 to 29 (38.6%) in 2020, and in those under 15 years of age, from 63 (84.0%) to 68 (90.7%). There was an increase in the proportion of ignored/ blank/ unclassified fields in the variables race/color, education, clinical form and assessment of physical disability in the diagnosis. The contact examination decreased from 78.7% to 68.9%. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a negative impact in the fight against leprosy in Sergipe. The challenges posed by the pandemic must urgently be considered in the development of mitigation plans and or strategies.