Aplicabilidade das políticas públicas sobre a hanseníase no Brasil e seus respectivos impactos na vida dos portadores da doença: Uma revisão narrativa da literatura

Abstract

Leprosy is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, popularly known as ''leprosy''. It is an infectious disease with a chronic evolution that has been around for centuries. Brazil is the second largest country in the world in terms of new cases. The disease represents a public health problem, and is mandatorily registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). The objective of the study is to analyze public policies on leprosy in Brazil and the impacts on the lives of carriers. This is a bibliographic study and literature review. The search for articles was carried out in SciELO, LILACS and BVS using the descriptors ''leprosy'', ''prejudice'' and the Boolean operator ''and''. The search took place in 2024, considering articles published between 2012 and 2023, including those that presented the full version in Portuguese with a theme of discrimination. Articles that did not meet the established criteria were excluded. The results indicate biopsychosocial impacts on patients, unpreparedness of health teams in diagnosis and monitoring, disarticulation of public policies, and the disease being neglected. Evidence points to the importance of nursing in primary health care, management, epidemiology, vaccination and community ties. The study provides insights for future studies and helps to support actions in health education.