01546nas a2200241   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001100070653001400081653001200095653002800107653001500135100001800150700001400168245007500182856005900257300001100316490000700327050003200334520092400366022001401290       1995                            d  c1995 Jun10aBangladesh10aHumans10aIncidence10aleprosy10aPopulation Surveillance10aPrevalence1 aRichardus J H1 aCroft R P00aEstimating the size of the leprosy problem: the Bangladesh experience.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/1995/v66n2/pdf/v66n2a07.pdf  a158-640 v66  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>Assessing the size of the leprosy problem in a country is an important but difficult issue for the purpose of programme planning. Different methods have been proposed but often estimates have proved to be very different from reality. We have attempted to address this issue in Bangladesh, a country where official estimates are more than 5 times greater than the registered number of leprosy cases. A combination of methods, including surveys, data from leprosy control programmes and local knowledge based on the Delphi techniques have been combined to construct an estimate of the total number of cases in Bangladesh. This figure (173,196) is only 10% greater than the official estimate (136,000). It will be possible over the next few years to see how close this figure is to reality through data obtained from the National Leprosy Control Programme which is now rapidly developing to cover the whole country.</p>  a0305-7518