01717nas a2200145   4500000000100000008004100001653002400042100001200066700001400078245013600092856009400228300001200322490000700334520123000341       2020                            d10aActive case finding1 aKumar A1 aKarotia D00aASHA based Surveillance for Leprosy Suspects (ABSULS): An Innovation for Enhancing Active Case Search of Leprosy at Community Level  uhttp://www.ijl.org.in/2020/04%20A%20Kumar%20and%20D%20Karotia%20161-171%20final%20(1).pdf  a161-1710 v923 aNational Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), India, witnessed the successful implementation of several
innovations since 2015 in phased manner such as Leprosy Case Detection Campaign (LCDC), Focussed Leprosy
Campaign (FLC), Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign (SLAC) etc. In the series, to strengthen the routine case
detection and to address the need for quality surveillance for leprosy in the community, ASHA Based
Surveillance for Leprosy Suspects (ABSULS) introduced in year 2017. Under this unique approach to detect
cases early, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), locally recruited community health worker, accountable
for the health conditions of approximately two hundred households’, report the number of suspects or nil
suspects identified during the previous month with signature in the monthly meetings. The information
submitted by ASHAs is compiled by supervisors and submitted in hierarchy which is validated through field
visits by health system functionaries at each level in hierarchy. This active surveillance by the community itself
and validation even of nil cases by health system is the gold standard to ensure early detection of leprosy cases
in routine mostly without disability.