Indian journal of leprosy
-
Indian journal of leprosy · Oct 2003
Leprosy situation in endemic states of India and prospects of elimination of the disease.
In India there is a dramatic fall in the prevalence rate (PR) of leprosy, but the new case-detection rate (NCDR) has not been reduced concomitantly. It is the operational efficiency of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) that has led to a significant reduction in the NCDR in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The ratio of PR to NCDR has been declining in these two states and it reveals that elimination could be reached even with the high NCDR level of 3 to 4 per 10000 population, particularly if single skin lesion (SSL) cases are discharged through single dose treatment of rifampicin, ofloxacin and minocycline (ROM). ⋯ In addition, the influence of socio-economic factors on continued occurrence of leprosy cannot be ruled out. The establishment of a sentinel surveillance system along with a computerized simplified information system to gain in-depth knowledge on the functioning of the NLEP will ensure operational efficiency. In view of this situation, the NLEP should adopt a more realistic approach towards reaching the elimination goal.
-
Indian journal of leprosy · Oct 2003
Impact of integration of NLEP into PHC system in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, and status of integration of leprosy patients into the community.
Based on the encouraging results of the integration in Tamil Nadu, the Government of India introduced integration in the entire country. In this study on integration, Madurai district was taken as the study area. The impact of integration on essential indicators of leprosy elimination was analyzed and the results are discussed so that they will be useful to other states that are still considering integration.