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Leprosy on rise, Bihar may see all-time high of 50,000 new cases this year
News
Initial reports of a survey conducted under Leprosy Case Detection Campaign (LCDC) of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) suggests nearly 50,000 new leprosy cases among SC communities in Bihar.
Important facts
- Leprosy cases in Bihar had a prevalence rate of 0.79 (cases per 10,000 people) in 2015-16 with detection of 16,185 new cases.
- During the recent survey the prevalence rate has been between 0.89 and 1.2
- In 2016-17, that prevalence rate went up to 1.10 with 21,818 cases, and to 1.18 (21,353 new cases) in 2017-18.
- The percentage of children among the cases detected across the state was 14.20 in 2015-16, 13.70 in 2016-17, and 12.56 in 2017-18
Factors contributing to increased leprosy cases
- Unhygienic living condition,
- Overcrowded dwelling units
- Increased monitoring by health officials and ASHA workers
- increased level of awareness and increased reporting
