ANÁLISE ESPACIAL E EPIDEMIOLÓGICA DE CASOS NOVOS DE HANSENÍASE EM UM MUNICÍPIO DO NORDESTE BRASILEIRO.

Hansen's Disease is an infectious disease with a slow evolution that is endemic in underdeveloped or developing countries such as Brazil. The WHO treats the disease as a problem of primary care and develops specific actions intended to eradication in several countries. The research seeks to understand the difference in the epidemiological profile of Hansen's Disease in the years 2001 to 2005 and 2014 to 2018 through the application of spatial analysis of new cases diagnosed in the urban area of Mossoró city, Rio Grande do Norte State. The methodology used was based on the analysis of specialized literature, analysis of data from SINAN and the geoprocessing of information that could be the object of geospatialization. The results demonstrate, based on the indicators applied, that the disease is in retraction in the municipality of Mossoró, but it continues being a challenge for health management, given that the classification, in terms of incidence coefficient, is that of a hyperendemic municipality, having specific areas where there is spatial prevalence of cases and a tendency to spread to more peripheral neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]