A Qualitative Study Exploring the Perceived Impact of Race on Leprosy-Affected Persons' Experiences of Diagnosis and Treatment of Leprosy in Southeast Brazil

Leprosy is a chronic, yet curable, infectious disease that causes severe morbidity in Brazil with an annual incidence of 33,000 new cases. Recent studies in Brazil showed a correlation between leprosy and the percentage of non-whites affected. Racial discrimination has been documented as a barrier to accessing healthcare. This study seeks to explore whether patients perceive race to have impacted on their leprosy care. A qualitative study was undertaken. 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients' at Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Brazil. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. 4 main themes were generated: racism is part of Brazilian culture, difficulties associated with the diagnosis of Leprosy, barriers to accessing treatment, and a lack of health education. Participants felt that racism infiltrates all aspects of Brazilian society, with isolated incidents in healthcare settings. Racism is known to be associated with socioeconomic inequalities. Leprosy control continues to be hindered by various social determinants of health. This, in turn, affects patients' access to leprosy treatment and care. This study may inform the continuing development of equitable leprosy control strategies in Brazil.