OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to elucidate the patterns and trends of autochthonous leprosy in Japan from 1964 to 2008, to compare them with the findings from other studies of leprosy in decline, and to determine whether M. leprae transmission persists in Japan. DESIGN Data on registered leprosy cases in Japan in the period 1964-2008 were analysed with reference to trends in case detection, geogr...

OBJECTIVES To review the reported trend of leprosy in Hong Kong. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Three major leprosy clinics in Hong Kong. PATIENTS Leprosy patients registered between 1970 and 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Incidence, rate of deformities, distribution of leprosy subtypes, age distribution, and relapses after therapy. RESULTS The incidence of leprosy has decreased fro...

A detailed eye examination of 145 inmates of a leprosy rehabilitation centre was done to determine the prevalence of ocular involvement. Age, gender of patients, type and duration of leprosy, systemic disabilities were noted. The mean age of patients was 45.8 years (range 19-70 years); 72.4% were males; 55.2% were suffering from paucibacillary leprosy. The mean duration of leprosy was 18.2 year...

BACKGROUND Sero-diagnostic methods are the easiest way of diagnosing an infectious disease in developing countries. In leprosy, phenolic glycolipid-1 (PGL-I) based methods for the detection of leprosy are currently available, but the use of these methods has been hindered due to the inherent problems of sensitivity. We previously showed that antibodies to Major Membrane Protein-II (MMP-II) deri...

INTRODUCTION In countries where leprosy control is integrated to general heath services, health workers, at primary health care level, often manage a large number of patients with skin diseases including leprosy. The distinction of leprosy from others skin diseases requires more skill and attention. Basic dermatological knowledge will help these staff to provide a better quality of care. A few ...

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, the eyes and the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract. There has been a decline in the global annual new case detection rate (NCDR) for leprosy since 2001. The global burden of leprosy in the beginning of 2008 was 212,802 cases, with only 6 countries having a prevalence rate (...

The roles of literacy and gender in enhancing help seeking behaviour in leprosy need further research in order to maximize the effectiveness of health education programmes. A study on leprosy knowledge and attitudes was carried out in Uttar Pradesh, one of the hyper endemic states for leprosy in north India, on a random sample of 130 leprosy patients, 120 non-leprosy patients, and 150 community...

BACKGROUND Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that has an impact on the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) of sufferers as well as their children. To date, no study has investigated the effects of parental leprosy on the well-being of adolescent children. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Lalitpur and Kathmandu districts of Nepal. Adolescents with leprosy-affected ...

OBJECTIVE To identify the current situation of leprosy colonies/leprosaria and make some recommendations for improving the quality of life of people affected by leprosy in China. METHODS A national survey using designed forms was carried out in 2004. The forms were filled in by local heads responsible for the management of leprosy colonies/leprosaria and sent to Provincial and National Centre...

Data are presented from the Karonga District in Northern Malaŵi on the long-term follow up of 277 leprosy suspects who were not given antileprosy treatment or kept on active surveillance. Individuals who were started on antileprosy treatment within a year after leprosy was first suspected, usually on the basis of histopathology results, are excluded from this analysis, because their active surv...