A historical overview of leprosy epidemiology and control activities in Amazonas, Brazil

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical

Chrusciak-Talhari, Anette¹  Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Brazil¹  Talhari, Sinésio¹  Talhari, Carolina¹  Dias, Luiz Carlos¹  Penna, Gerson Oliveira¹  Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil¹  Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil¹  Cunha, Carolina¹  Santos, Mônica¹  Fundação de Dermatologia e Venereologia Alfredo da Matta, Manaus, Brazil¹  Pedrosa, Valderiza Lourenço¹  Universidade Nilton Lins, Manaus, Brazil¹  Braga, Andréa¹ 

关键词: Leprosy;    Historical overview;    Amazonas;   

DOI  :  10.1590/0037-8682-0103-2013

学科分类：农业科学（综合）

来源: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical

【 摘 要 】

Leprosy is an ancient infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. According to comparative genomics studies, this disease originated in Eastern Africa or the Near East and spread with successive human migrations. The Europeans and North Africans introduced leprosy into West Africa and the Americas within the past 500 years. In Brazil, this disease arrived with the colonizers who disembarked at the first colonies, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Recife, at the end of the sixteenth century, after which it was spread to the other states. In 1854, the first leprosy cases were identified in State of Amazonas in the north of Brazil. The increasing number of leprosy cases and the need for treatment and disease control led to the creation of places to isolate patients, known as leprosaria. One of them, Colonia Antônio Aleixo was built in Amazonas in 1956 according to the most advanced recommendations for isolation at that time and was deactivated in 1979. The history of the Alfredo da Matta Center (AMC), which was the first leprosy dispensary created in 1955, parallels the history of leprosy in the state. Over the years, the AMC has become one of the best training centers for leprosy, general dermatology and sexually transmitted diseases in Brazil. In addition to being responsible for leprosy control programs in the state, the AMC has carried out training programs on leprosy diagnosis and treatment for health professionals in Manaus and other municipalities of the state, aiming to increase the coverage of leprosy control activities. This paper provides a historical overview of leprosy in State of Amazonas, which is an endemic state in Brazil.Key words: Leprosy; Historical overview; Amazonas

【 授权许可】

Unknown