The Results of Survey for Hansen's Disease of the Migrant Worker

We already achieved the goal of the elimination of leprosy that was recommended by WHO. But the amazing change of our country's situation of the economical & social conditions makes the need of the migrant worker. Especially, the portion of migrant workers form India, Nepal, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, & Vietnam, the countries of relatively high prevalence rate of Hansen's disease are increasing among them recently. It means the attention about the influx of Hansen's disease form the foreign countries. We perform the survey for Hansen's disease of the migrant worker. Total 603 workers were surveyed. We found only 4 persons, that had the high titer(above 500) of the result of PGL-1 ELISA, and only 3 persons, that had some findings, the suggestive finding of Hansen's disease, of cutaneous & neurological symptoms. In spite of the special study, we did not conform the diagnosis of Hansen's disease among them. During this survey, we did not find the conformed patients of Hansen's disease. But we think that we will be concerned about the influx of Hansen's disease from foreign countries, because of the recently significance change of the epidemiological situations of Hansen's disease in Korea.