title: Leprosy in children and adolescents under 15 years old in an urban centre in Brazil.
abstract: This original study describes the intra-urban distribution of cases of leprosy in residents under 15 years old in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; the study also identifies the environment in which Mycobacterium leprae is being transmitted. The cases were distributed by operational classification, clinical forms, type of contact and the addresses were geo-referenced by neighborhood. Between 2007 and 2011, were reported 145 cases of leprosy in target population living in Salvador, corresponding to detection rates of 6.21, 6.14, 5.58, 5.41 and 6.88/100,000 inhabitants, respectively. The spatial distribution of the disease was focal. Of the 157 neighborhoods of Salvador, 44 (28.6%) notified cases of leprosy and in 22 (50%) of these were detected more than 10 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The infectious forms were found in 40% of cases. Over 90% of cases had been living in Salvador for more than five years. Overall, 52.6% reported having had contact with another infected individual inside the household and 25% in their social circle. In Salvador, M. leprae transmission is established. The situation is a major concern, since transmission is intense at an early age, indicating that this endemic disease is expanding and contacts extend beyond individual households.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Salvador BA , Brasil, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Selton Diniz
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Fiocruz de Governo, Brasília DF , Brasil, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Escola Fiocruz de Governo, Brasília, DF, Brasil.
authors.forename: Gerson Oliveira
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Penna
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Salvador BA , Brasil, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria da Conceição Nascimento
authors.initials: Mda C
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Salvador BA , Brasil, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcio Santos
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Natividade
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Salvador BA , Brasil, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Glória
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018563:Disease Notification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007918:Leprosy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population