The city of Paracatu-MG is considered a priority for leprosy control actions due to the high rates of detection and prevalence of the condition, especially among children under fifteen years of age. In 1998 and 1999, an information program was implemented in order to provide explanations on the signs and symptoms of the disease to a population of 8,000 students, in order to improve the detection rate of the disease in children under fifteen years of age, given Paracatu was classified as a hyper-endemic city between 1997 and 2001. A descriptive study was carried out comprising forty-five patients diagnosed and treated in Paracatu between 1994 and 2001. Fifty-three percent of diagnoses were in male children, 75.5% of the cases being between ten and fourteen years of age; individuals had less years of schooling than what would be expected for their ages; 84% of the population lived in the urban area. All patients included (100%) were new cases, of which 56% were multibacillary forms, mainly the Dimorph clinical form (potentially infectious), followed by the Undetermined (30.8%) and Tuberculoid (13.2%) forms. All were treated according to standard procedures, with a 100% cure rate. During treatment 24% of patients presented reactions, and 9% did after being discharged. Twenty-two percent of patients were diagnosed with some degree of disability, and 13% presented some degree of disability upon discharge (a rate considered high). Sixty-two percent of patients had contact with other Hansen's disease bearers, and only 15.5% of these contacts had two BCG vaccine scars. Leprosy is a serious public health problem in the city studied, and the work accomplished with students was primary to increase case detection.
Leprosy; Under fifteen; Paracatu-MG
