Abstrakt

Observation of clinical and laboratory profile of leprosy cases detected by microscopy in south west Bihar: A hospital based study

Prabhat Kumar

 Introduction: Nearly 14 years after leprosy was eliminated from India, many continue to be infected with the lepra bacilli. Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that primarily affects the peripheral nerves, skin, upper respiratory tract, eyes and nasal mucosa. The disease is caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The leprosy elimination campaign sponsored by the World Health Organization has successfully reduced the prevalence rate of the disease to less than one case per 10,000 populations worldwide, but the number of new cases in endemic countries has increased so we undertake to this study to know the trend of leprosy in our tertiary care hospital. Introduction: Leprosy also called Hansen’s disease is one among the oldest disease known to mankind. It is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It still remains as a major public health problem facing India. Nearly, 60% of all world leprosy cases are reported from India.