01498nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653002000070653001000090653001800100653001200118653001100130653001100141653001000152653002300162653001200185653000900197653001500206653002600221653001300247100001500260700001100275700001100286700001400297700001300311245003900324300001000363490000700373050001800380520072400398022001401122       2011                            d  c2011 Jul10aAdolescent10aChemoprevention10aChild10aChild Welfare10aDapsone10aFemale10aHumans10aIndia10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMale10aPrevalence10aRetrospective Studies10aRifampin1 aSachdeva S1 aAmin S1 aKhan Z1 aSharma PK1 aBansal S00aChildhood leprosy: lest we forget.  a163-50 v41  aSACHDEVA 20113 a<p>Leprosy remains an important public health and social issue in South Asia, particularly in India. Its presence in childhood is an immense social burden because of the associated disabilities and widely prevalent misconceptions regarding communicability and treatment potential. The prevalence of leprosy among children suggests a possible gap in the national programmes aimed at leprosy elimination. This article reports a 10-year retrospective study of childhood leprosy in a tertiary care hospital setting (2000-2009) along with an analysis of selected socio-epidemiologic correlates. We stress the importance of early detection and the application of appropriate prophylactic measures in susceptible children.</p>  a1758-1133