Some Practical Problems of the Epidemiology of Leprosy in the Indian Context

Abstract

Leprosy constitutes a great and growing problem in India. The exact number of sufferers is unknown, but each successive estimate exceeds the figure it replaces; 3.1 million is the latest, and this must be multiplied by an undetermined factor to indicate the real dimensions of the endemic. A suspected prevalence rate of 8.3/1000 in the population at risk — 372 million — and a far from negligible rate in the remaining 200 million, adds up to a public health problem of vast size — and great complexity. Moreover, despite the praiseworthy and considerable efforts of government and voluntary agencies and the undoubted success of medical treatment of the individual, the leprosy endemic shows no signs of abating. Given the present rate of population increase, the present attack rates of leprosy and the duration of the disease, India might well have to deal in 20 years’ time with double the present number of leprosy sufferers.