DR.I.SELVARAJ I.R.M.S
B.Sc.,M.B.B.S.,D.P.H.,D.I.H.,PGCH&FW/NIHFW/
NEW DELHI
• Senior Divisional Medical
Officer, Railway Hospital,
Chennai Division, Southern
Railway, India.
LEPROSY
It is a chronic infectious disease caused by
M.leprae, an acid fast, rod shaped bacillus. It
mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves,
and mucosa of the respiratory tract etc., It
has left behind a terrifying image in history
and human memory of mutilation, rejection
and exclusion from society.
Global Leprosy Situation 1998
Leprosy Situation in South East Asia 2001
Country Point Prevalence Cases detected during the Prevalence per 10000 Detection per 100000
year 2001
Bangladesh 8537 10740 0.6 8.2
Bhutan 40 19 0.2 0.9
India 439782 617993 4.3 60.1
Indonesia 17259 13286 0.8 6.2
Myanmar 8237 9684 1.8 21.0
Nepal 10657 13830 4.4 56.5
Sri Lanka 1570 2309 0.8 12.1
Thailand 2251 797 0.4 1.3
Total 488333 668658 3.2 43.7
Global Leprosy Situation in 2001*
Region Point Prevalence Cases detected
during the year 2001
Africa 45170 39612
Americas 83101 42830
East Mediterranean 7007 4758
South East Asia 488333 668658
Western Pacific 7735 4786
Europe 38 53
World 635404 763317
* As reported by 106 countries.
Prevalence of Leprosy in SEA Region as of April 2001
GOAL AND OBJECTIVE OF LEPROSY
ERADICATION PROGRAMME
• Goal: elimination of leprosy i.e.to reduce
the prevalence rate to less than I per
10000 population by the year 2000 AD.
• Objective: To arrest disease activity in all
the known cases of leprosy by the year
2000AD
• Strategy: The elimination strategy
CONTROL OF LEPROSY
• It means no longer to be a
public health problem
ERADICATION OF LEPROSY
• It is defined as interruption of
transmission of leprosy to attain a
stage of zero level
ELIMINATION OF LEPROSY
• The elimination of leprosy as a public health
means reducing the prevalence of leprosy to
below on case per 10000 population.
• Elimination of leprosy will be achieved by:
• Making MDT accessible to all communities and
areas.
• Treating all registered cases with MDT
• Diagnosing and promptly treating all new cases
• Improving quality of patient care, including
disability prevention and management
• Ensuring reqularity and completion of treatment
• Enlisting community support for the programme
INCIDENCE OF LEPROSY
Incidence is the number of new
cases (only the new cases) of a
particular disease that occur in a
defined population over a defined
period of time. The time period
used is conventionally one year.
PREVALENCE OF LEPROSY
1. Point Prevalence
2. Period Prevalence
Point prevalence
• The number of persons with a
disease at a specified point in
time in a defined Population
Period prevalence
• The number of persons with a
disease in a defined
population within a specified
period of time
SUSPECT CASE OF LEPROSY
• One or more suggestive skin patches with
normal sensation
• Extensive loss of sensation in the hands or
feet with no other evidence of leprosy
• One or more grossly enlarged peripheral
nerve trunks with no sensory loss or skin
lesion
• Painful nerves with no other evidence of
leprosy
• Painless ulcers on hands and/or feet with no
other evidence of leprosy
• Nodules on the skin with no other evidence
WHO IS LIKELY TO REPORT TO THE HEALTH
CENTRE
• Leprosy cases who were never treated before
• Leprosy cases who had treatment with
dapsone in the past
• Leprosy cases who had treatment with MDT
in the past
• Suspect cases
• With other skin lesions
• Other conditions causing nerve damage
• Contacts of leprosy patients for check up
• Normal individual for information
How to examine for leprosy?
Examine in a well-lit room
Examine the whole body
Ask since when the patch was noticed
Ask what treatments have been tried
Test for sensation
Look for any visible deformities
How to diagnose leprosy
Examine skin
Check for patches
Test for sensation
Count the number of patches
Look for damage to nerves
DIAGNOSIS OF LEPROSY
• Hypopigmented or reddish skin lesion(s)
with definite loss of sensation
• Damage to the peripheral nerves, as
demonstated by loss of sensation
• Weakness of the muscles of hands, feet or
face
• Positive skin smear
FLOW CHART FOR DIAGNOSIS
AND CLASSIFICATION
SKIN LESION AND
SENSORY LOSS - LEPROSY
ONE SKIN LESION 2-5 SKIN LESION More than 5 lesions
SLPB leprosy PB LEPROSY MB LEPROSY
Leprosy - one of the few diseases
which can be eliminated
Leprosy meets the demanding criteria
for elimination
and simple diagnostic tools: can
practical
be diagnosed on clinical signs alone;
the availability of an effective intervention
to interrupt its transmission: multidrug
therapy
asingle significant reservoir of infection:
humans.
Elimination strategy
• Providing domicillary MDT to all communities
and areas
• Breaking the chain of transmission by intensive
case detection and promptly treatment activities
• Improving quality of patient care, including
disability prevention and management
• Ensuring regularity and completion of treatment
• Encouraging and ensuring community
participation
• Providing rehabilitation to the needy patients
• Organising health education to patients , their
families and community.
ADVANTAGES OF MDT
• Highly effective in curing the disease
• Reduces the period of treatment
• Well accepted by patients
• Easy to apply in the field
• Prevents development of drug resistance
• Interrupts transmission of infection
• Reduces risk of relapse
• Prevents disabilities
• Improves community attitude
POINTS ON MDT TREATMENT
• Every leprosy patient should receive tratment with more than one antileprosy drug
• Standard MDT is very safe and effective
• It is available free of charge for leprosy patients
• Standard MDT is for a fixed duration
• At the completion of a full course of MDT the patient is cured
• Use clinical criteria to classify and decide the treatment regimen
• If in doupt of classification, give MB treatment regimen
• Active follow-up after completion of treatment is not necessary
• In case of relapse, re-treat with appropriate standard MDT regimen
Treatment regimens
PB Adult
(6 blister packs) to be taken monthly within a maximum period of 9
months
Rifampicin 600 mg once a month
Dapsone 100 mg every day
MB Adult
(12 blister packs) to be taken monthly within a maximum period of 18
months
Rifampicin 600 mg once a month
Clofazimine 300 mg once a month
Clofazimine 50 mg and dapsone 100 mg every day
SLPB
Single dose ROM
Rifampicin 600 mgm
Ofloxacin 400 mgm
Minocyclin 100 mgm
Multi Drug Therapy
When treatment is completed
Congratulate the patient
Thank family/friends for their support
Reassure that MDT completely cures leprosy
Any residual lesions will fade away slowly
Show them how to protect anaesthetic areas and/or
disabilities
Encourage to come back in case of any problem
Tellthat they are welcome to bring other members
of family or friends for consultation
Remove the patient’s name from the treatment
register
ORGANISING MDT
SERVICES
• Updating register
• Screening patients
• Selecting MDT regimen
• Preparing treatment register
• Delivering MDT to patients
• Managing MDT supply
a) estimating MDT requirements
b) procuring
c) storage
d) Shelf life
e) Keeping records
ASSESSING PROGRESS WITH MDT
IMPLEMENTATION
• MDT COVERAGE
• Number of patients cured with MDT
• Defaulters
• MDT drug utilisation
• Regular and uninterrupted supply of drugs
is very important for MDT programme
PROVISION OF EFFICIENT HEALTH
SERVICES
• Diagnose leprosy and classify the disease clinically
• Recognise and manage the common complications
of the disease
• Identify and refer serious complications
• To ensure regular supply of MDT
• Maintain proper recording and reporting
• Organise convenient locations and timing of the
clinics
• Maintain cardial and friendly relations with all
patients and the local community
• Ensure commitment and motivation to eliminate
leprosy from the area
MONITORING INDICATORS
• Point Prevalence Rate – Indicator of magnitude of the
problem
• Monthly&Annual New Case detection rate –Indicator
of impact of the programme
• Proportion of children among new cases – Indicator
of early detection
• Proportion of new cases with deformity – Indicator of
effectiveness of programme implementation
• Proportion of MB among new cases – Indicator of late
detection
• Prevalence discharge ratio – Indicator of progress of
the programme related to cure
• Clinic attendance –Indicator of regularity of
treatment
Why integrate leprosy into the general
health services?
Integration means to provide “comprehensive”
essential services from one service point
to improve patients’ access to leprosy services and
thereby ensure timely treatment
toremove the “special” status of leprosy as a
complicated and terrible disease
to consolidate substantial gains made
toensure that all future cases receive timely and
correct treatment
to ensure that leprosy is treated as a simple disease
Why coverage is important?
Good coverage means that:
facilities are easily accessible to every
health
member of the community
health services are provided on a daily basis
healthworkers are able to diagnose, cure and
provide basic information about the disease
health facilities are distributed equally in all
areas
urban/rural, male/female, poor/rich, tribal/others, etc.
Advantages of Integrating
Leprosy Services
Transmission of infection interrupted early
Stigma reduced further
Development of deformities prevented
Patients treated early
Patients detected early
Why disabilities occur?
Disabilitiessuch as loss of sensation and
deformities of hands/feet/eyes occur because:
Late diagnosis and late treatment with MDT
Advanced disease (MB leprosy)
Leprosy reactions which involve nerves
Lack of information on how to protect insensitive
parts
Disabilities can be prevented
The best way to prevent disabilities is:
early diagnosis and prompt treatment with MDT
Inform patients (specially MB) about common
signs/symptoms of reactions
Ask them to come to the centre
Starttreatment for reaction Inform them how to
protect insensitive hands/ feet /eyes
Involve family members in helping patients
MORE FACTS ABOUT LEPROSY-1
• NATIONAL LEPROSY CONTROL PROGRAMME WAS STARTED
IN 1955
• NATIONAL LEPROSY ERADICATION PROGRAMME WAS
RENAMED IN 1983
• PREVALENCE OF LEPROSY IN INDIA WAS 57/10000 IN 1981
• AFTER MDT INTERVENTION, IT WAS REDUCED TO 5.07/10000 IN
MARCH,2000
• A TOTAL OF 8.84 MILLION PATIENTS CURED WITH MDT
• 19 STATES HAVE ACHIEVED ELIMINATION BY 2000
• 8 STATES ARE LIKELY TO ACHIEVE BY 2002
• 5 STATES BY 2005
• CURRENT STRATEGY IS (MLEC) COMPAIGN IN 30 STATES
• MLEC-1 WAS LAUNCHED IN 1997-1998
• MLEC-2 WAS CONDUCTED IN 1999-2000
• ABOUT 2,20,000 WERE DETECTED WHICH ARE NOW BEING
TREATED
• 3,76,000 PARAMEDICAL PERSONNEL INCLUDING DOCTORS AND
3,78,000 VOLUNTEERS WERE TRAINED
• SAPEL PROGRAMME IN INACCESSIBLE AREAS
MORE FACTS ABOUT LEPROSY-2
• FOUR LEPROSY VACCINES ARE CURRENTLY IN
TRAIL
• 1)BCG –34.1% PROTECTION
• 2)BCG+KILLED M.LEPRAE – 64.0%
• 3)M.W – 25.7%
• 4)ICRC – 65.5%
• 70% LAI are concentrated in the states of
Bihar,UP,WB,Orissa,and MP.Bihar alone is having
32% recorded cases of LAI IN INDIA
• The prevalence of leprosy in PUNJAB,NAGALAND,and
HARYANA is 1 per 10000
• 7 CONTROLLED TRAILS AND 9 CASE –CONTROL
STUDIES EVALUATING THE ROLE OF BCG IN
PREVENTION OF LEPROSY WERE CARRIED OUT
AROUND THE WORLD