Expansão espacial da leishmaniose visceral americana em São Luis, Maranhão, Brasil / Space expansion of the American visceral leishmaniasis in SÒo Luis, MaranhÒo, Brazil

The space occupation and the expansion of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) were described in the municipality of SÒo Luis, MaranhÒo, Northeast Brazil. AVL medical notes from the FundaçÒo Nacional de Saúde as well as official documents about the space occupation were analyzed from September 1982 to December 1996. AVL cases were more likely to occur in recently settled suburbs and tended to follow the same spatial pattern observed for land occupations secondary to migratory fluxes.