Transmissão de leishmaniose tegumentar americana na região de São José do Rio Preto

Abstract

The objectives included studying the occurrence of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) in the region of São José do Rio Preto, Brazil in the period between 1998 and 2005, to describe the reported variables, to reclassify notified cases of ATL over this period according to the probable location of infection and to spatially analyze and characterize the transmission areas. Methods: The study was developed from confirmed notifications of ATL in the region of São José do Rio Preto. The studied variables included: date of notification, age, gender, rural or urban zone, occupation and probable location of infection. Reinvestigations, reclassifications and visits to the probable infection sites were made for all suspected autochthony cases which were then georeferenced and photographed. Results and conclusions: The number of indecisive cases was reduced from 27.2% to 7.8%. The number of imported cases increased from 50.0% to 70.8%. Autochthones dropped from 22.8% to 21.4%, however with alterations in their probable infection sites. There was a change in the classifications in 31.1% of cases. The most affected age range was between 31 and 40 years old and men (68.2%) were infected more than women. Occupation was not associated with the disease in 89.9% of the cases. The foci presented with similar landscape, always with woods, even in the periurban areas (9.1%).