@article{95619,
  author = {Matos T and Nascimento V and Carmo R and Fernandes T and Souza CDFD and da Silva T},
  title = {Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of new leprosy cases in Northeastern Brazil, 2020.},
  abstract = {<p>This study analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the detection of new cases of leprosy in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The periods January-September 2019 and January-September 2020 were compared. There was a 44.40% reduction in the diagnosis of leprosy when comparing the two periods (1,705 in 2019 and 948 in 2020). There was a reduction in the number of municipalities with reported cases: 251 municipalities in 2019 and 202 in 2020, expressing a reduction of 24.25%. Considering only the months following the arrival of the virus (April-September), the reduction was 51.10%. An inverse correlation was observed between the number of new cases of leprosy and the cumulative number of cases of COVID-19 (Spearman's correlation coefficient = -0.840; P < 0.001) and the number of new monthly cases of COVID-19 (Spearman's correlation coefficient = -0.817; P < 0.001). A slight increase was also observed in the proportion of multibacillary cases in the state (70.38% in 2019 and 72.69% in 2020) as well as in the proportion of individuals with the degree of physical disability not assessed at diagnosis, whose proportion rose from 16.39% in 2019 to 22.53% in 2020. The negative impact of COVID-19 in tackling leprosy should be seen as a warning sign for health and political authorities.</p>},
  year = {2021},
  journal = {International journal of dermatology},
  month = {06/2021},
  issn = {1365-4632},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ijd.15705},
  doi = {10.1111/ijd.15705},
  language = {eng},
}