02059nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260003800042653001500080653000900095653001100104653001000115653002100125653002100146653001100167653001100178653001100189653002000200653001200220653001600232653001700248653002100265100001900286700001900305700001300324700001800337245006200355856004900417300001200466490000700478050002100485520117700506022001401683       2012                            d  c2012 JunbScieloaRio De Janeiro 10aAdolescent10aAged10aBrazil10aChild10aChild, Preschool10aEndemic Diseases10aFemale10aHumans10aInfant10aInfant, Newborn10aleprosy10aMiddle Aged10aRisk Factors10aSpatial analysis1 aDuarte-Cunha M1 aSouza-Santos R1 aMatos HJ1 aOliveira MLWD00a[Epidemiological aspects of leprosy: a spatial approach].  uhttp://www.scielosp.org/pdf/csp/v28n6/13.pdf  a1143-550 v28  aDUARTECUNHA 20123 a<p>The objective of this study was to identify spatial patterns in the occurrence of leprosy in Duque de Caxias, a municipality (county) with high endemicity for the disease in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The authors selected all new leprosy cases reported to the Brazilian National Database on Diseases of Notification (SINAN) from 1998 to 2006. The analysis was performed according to three-year periods, followed by spatial analysis according to the local empirical Bayesian method and calculation of global (Moran) and local (LISA) spatial autocorrelation. The analysis showed marked improvement in the epidemiological situation associated with earlier diagnosis. There was a reduction in the proportion of cases with grade II leprosy, from 13.6% to 8.6% (p = 0.04), and increased detection of cases with the indeterminate form, from 10.3% to 18% (p = 0.00). Spatial analysis identified a cluster in the South-Northwest of the municipality, not directly related to the actions or decentralization campaign, proving to be an important tool for identifying critical areas for the endemic and assessing the impact of strategic measures to combat the disease.</p>  a1678-4464