02209nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653000900054653001200063653002500075653001700100100001100117700001200128700001500140700001600155700001300171700001500184700001100199245005700210856007700267300000800344490000700352520157000359022001401929       2022                            d  c01/202210aChad10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aEpidemiology1 aKabo A1 aKaman K1 aDoungous D1 aOuedraogo L1 aAbakar M1 aGodreuil S1 aBeng V00a[Epidemiology of leprosy in Chad from 2015 to 2019].  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8994465/pdf/PAMJ-41-120.pdf  a1200 v413 a<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>leprosy is a disease found and unevenly distributed in Chad. Since 1997, the annual national prevalence has been less than 1/10000 inhabitants, the elimination threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The purpose of this study is to describe epidemiological trends of leprosy in Chad between 2015 and 2019, in order to provide the necessary data for the development of more effective strategies for leprosy control.</p>

<p><strong>Methods: </strong>we conducted a retrospective, descriptive study of patients with leprosy diagnosed between 2015 and 2019 at national level. Data were collected from the database of the National Program for the Control of Leprosy in Chad (NPCLC).</p>

<p><strong>Results: </strong>a total of 1896 new cases of leprosy were detected in Chad between 2015 and 2019. The rates of patients aged 15 to 70 years and children under 15 years were 92.08% and 7.92% respectively. Sex ratio (M/F) was 1.68. The annual average detection rate was 2.6/100 000, with an average rate of multi-bacillary leprosy of 83.10% and degree 2 disability (2DD) of 20.38%. The average rate of degree 2 disability in children under 15 years of age was 0.92% . However, our study identified five districts as endemic (Adré, Abéché, Aboudeia, Koukou, et Bebedjia) in 2019, where the prevalence rate was above 1/10000 inhabitants.</p>

<p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>epidemiological trends are in favor of the persistence of the disease and a delay in diagnosis and in the management of leprosy cases.</p>
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