Rising Trends: Slit Skin Smear Positivity in Suspected Cases of Leprosy in A Tertiary Care Hospital in western Uttar Pradesh.

Background & Objectives: NLEP initiated in 1983 achieved elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in India. However, as per WHO and various studies marginal increase in total number of new leprosy cases has been noted in last few years. Slit-skin smear (SSS) examination is simple and widely available test for screening of leprosy and its classification as well as monitoring response to treatment. The present study had been designed to study the trends of Slit Skin Smear (SSS) positivity in patients clinically suspected of leprosy. Methods: A retrospective data of last 5 years was collected to study the number of smear positive cases from among the slit skin samples submitted to the Department of Microbiology, stained by a modified ZiehlNeelsen method and examined for the presence of acid fast bacilli (AFB) under oil immersion objective lens. Results:Increasing number of AFB smear positive cases was noted among the clinically suspected cases with smear positive percentage increasing from 28.6% to 43.8% from the year 2012 to the year 2016, with average positive percentage of 39.3% during the period of the study. Interpretation andConclusions:Our study highlights the recent trend of increasing number of clinically suspected leprosy cases with rising positivity of slit skin smears for acid fast bacilli, as noted in other tertiary care centers.