02131nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001100055653001900066653002000085653001100105653001100116653001200127653000900139653002800148653001500176100001400191700001400205700001800219700001200237700001200249245013900261856004800400300001000448490001600458050001600474520131300490022001401803       2012                            d  c2012 Dec10aBrazil10aCohort Studies10aContact Tracing10aFemale10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aPopulation Surveillance10aPrevalence1 aHacker MA1 aDuppre NC1 aCosta Nery JA1 aSales A1 aSarno E00aCharacteristics of leprosy diagnosed through the surveillance of contacts: a comparison with index cases in Rio de Janeiro, 1987-2010.  uhttp://www.scielo.br/pdf/mioc/v107s1/09.pdf  a49-540 v107 Suppl 1  aHACKER 20123 a<p>Contact surveillance is an important strategy to ensure effective early diagnosis and control of leprosy; passive detection may not be as efficient because it is directly tied to the ready availability of heath care services and health education campaigns. The aim of this study was to reinforce that contact surveillance is the most effective strategy for the control of leprosy. The analysed data were obtained from a cohort of contacts and cases diagnosed through a national referral service for leprosy. We analysed data from patients diagnosed between 1987-2010 at the Souza Araújo Ambulatory in Rio de Janeiro. Epidemiological characteristics of leprosy cases diagnosed through contact surveillance and characteristics of passively detected index cases were compared using a conditional logistic regression model. Cases diagnosed by contact surveillance were found earlier in the progression of the disease, resulting in less severe clinical presentations, lower levels of initial and final disability grades, lower initial and final bacterial indices and a lower prevalence of disease reaction. In this respect, contact surveillance proved to be an effective tertiary prevention strategy, indicating that active surveillance is especially important in areas of high endemicity, such as Brazil.</p>  a1678-8060