title: [Hansen's disease in children under fifteen years-old in Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil].
abstract: Hansen's disease has a slow evolution, which mostly affects the adult population. Detecting cases in children shows that the endemic continues and there is early exposure of the population to the bacillus. This is an ecological study with the objective of analyzing the occurrence of Hansen's disease in children under fifteen in the Jequitinhonha Valley through epidemiological and operational indicators. The results show that the endemic continues in the region, demonstrating that the health services are not proactive and must implement specific prevention and control measures for this age group in order to reduce the transmission of the disease and the possible damage it can bring to the life of individuals, especially when it affects them in their childhood.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem Materno-lnfantil e Saúde Pública da Escola de Enfermagem da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG.
authors.forename: Francisco Carlos Félix
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Lana
authors.forename: Evaldo Pinheiro
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.forename: Fernanda Moura
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Lanza
authors.forename: Paula Lamounier
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Ana Cláudia Nascimento
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
authors.forename: Letícia Gonçalves
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Diniz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male