@article{30299,
  keywords = {leprosy, Urban leprosy, Migration, Post-elimination challenges},
  author = {Rathod S and Mistry A},
  title = {Current Scenario and Challenges of Urban Leprosy in a Tertiary Care Regional Centre in Western India - A 5 Year Observational Retrospective Study},
  abstract = {<p>Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by <em>Mycobacterium leprae</em>, affecting mainly the peripheral nerves and skin. The target of elimination of leprosy as a public health problem (&lt;1/10,000) at the National level was achieved in the year 2005 in India. Post-elimination, new cases of leprosy still continue to be occur. Diagnosis, treatment and control of leprosy in urban settings have different challenges than in rural areas. The study aims to understand the current trend of leprosy in an urban cluster. This is a retrospective study conducted by analyzing records of Urban Leprosy Centre, Seth LG Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India) from January 2010 to December 2014. A total 872 new cases of leprosy reported at the centre during the study period of 5 years which included 559 (64.1%) males and 313 (35.9%) female patients. Of the total 872 cases, 698 (80.04%) patients were suffering from Multibacillary (MB) type of leprosy and 174 (19.96%) were suffering from Paucibacillary (PB) type of leprosy. The ration of MB/PB cases were 4.01 in these years and has been rising during last three years. Of total 115 new cases reporting in the year 2014, 98 patients (85.2%) were migrants from other states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. This study shows continued reporting of new leprosy cases in the post elimination era with high proportion of Multibacillary cases showing the possibility of delayed diagnosis and increased risk of transmission of infection in the community. Most of the cases were in migrants who had migrated from adjoining states for work and livelihood. Migration could be one of the reasons and may be leading to duplication of leprosy cases data although these regions may have achieved the goal of elimination as a public health problem. Control of urban leprosy thus needs evidence based strategies of timely access and appropriate management.</p>
},
  year = {2017},
  journal = {Indian journal of leprosy},
  volume = {89},
  pages = {1-7},
  url = {http://www.ijl.org.in/2017/1%20P%20Rathod%20et%20al%20(1-7).pdf},
  language = {eng},
}