The detection rate of leprosy in the district of Paracatu is high in people younger than fifteen years of age, with about 6.8/10,000 inhabitants in 2003, therefore classified as hyperendemic. The study aims at territorially distributing the cases of leprosy in teenagers and children still in school, using the case finding strategy. A prospective cohort and ecologic study was used with 16,623 students between January 2004 and June 2006. An Excel spreadsheet was built for the database and the statistical analysis included chi2, Confidence Interval - (IC) of 95% and Relative Risk (RR). The Auto-CAD release 2000 was used for geoprocessing information. 68 cases of the disease were diagnosed (25.1%, multibacilar forms). About 85.2% lived in the urban area, 55.8% were women, and the 10 to 14 year-old age group prevailed (61.7%; 95%IC: 0.49-0.89%). There was an increase of 38.2% in the case detection rate, giving visibility to the unknown prevalence. Considering case finding in 2004, the microregions of Alto do Açude and Vista Alegre presented a higher case detection with 41.5/10,000 inhabitants; and RR=10.9 higher than the center of Paracatu, with the detection of 3.8/10,000 inhabitants. In 2005, the microregions of Paracatuzinho, Chapadinha, São João Evangelista I and II, Bandeirantes, Aeroporto and Bom Pastor stand out, with the detection of 21.8/10,000 inhabitants, and Relative Risk=8.7 times higher than Nossa Senhora de Fátima and J.K with the detection of 2.5/10,000 inhabitants. Geoprocessing of the information, through case finding among students, allowed visibility of the high detection rate of leprosy by region, allowing improvement in the surveillance of the disease in Paracatu.
Leprosy; Students; Case finding; Spatial distribution
