Leprosy in Uganda; a survey in the Busoga District of the Eastern Province.

Previously reported work in Uganda Protectorate included a leprosy survey by samples of the population in a wide range of places (1). The total number of persons examined then was 14,808, and the leprosy prevalence indicated was 54 per thousand; but since the population of Uganda is over 4,000,000 it was emphasized at the time that that survey needed amplifying and extending. In pursuance of that objective a more intensive survey in the Busoga District of Uganda was conducted in November and December of 1949, and the results aJ?d inferences are recorded in this paper. The findings are correlated with previous results, both in Uganda and in the other countries of East Africa: Kenya (2) and Tanganyika (3,4,5). The earlier work in this region has recently been summarized (6). The people concerned in this survey comprise a homogeneous and distinct tribe, the Busoga, of Bantu origin, who inhabit an area near the source of the Nile (Lake Victoria) and its first beginnings (the Victoria Nile). It is believed that this is the first time a leprosy survey has been conducted amongst them. The Busoga District, part of the Eastern Province of Uganda, lies between the equator and 10 30' north latitude and is just about bisected by longitude 330 30', as shown in Text-fig. 1. The land area is 3,771 square miles, and the altitude above sea level varies betwen 3,400 and 4,000 feet. The average atmospheric humidity is 60 per cent, the average atmospheric temperature 71.4°F., and the mean annual rainfall 43.39 inches. The country is lush and green, either gently undulating or level and marshy, and there is a rich abundance of insect life. The total population reaches 513,805, and the density of population is 136 per square mile. The main products of the area are cotton, beans, groundnuts, sugar and timber. Agriculture is the predominating industry,