Trend Of Leprosy Epidemiology And Its Comparision In Two Highly Endemic Regions Wenshan,China And Nepal

Objectives:Leprosy is a chronic bacterial disease caused by the Mycobacterium leprae bacillus affecting the peripheral nerves,skin and other organs in humans.The higher prevalence of leprosy in certain regions of China even at present has been reviewed many times in the literature.Studying the leprosy trend in such areas is an initial and crucial step towards the control of the disease.So,our study presents a detailed work on the epidemiological trends of leprosy in one of those provinces,Wenshan Autonomous Prefecture,which is still known to be leprosy endemic region in China.While highlighting the situation of this disease in Wenshan,we also try to compare the features of possible causes and risk factors of the disease in Wenshan and Nepal as both places have lots of similarities regarding leprosy endemicity.Material and Methods:For Wenshan,the patients record was collected from 1986 to 2015,from Dermopathic Research Institute of Wenshan Zhou,The Skin Disease Prevention and Treatment of Wenshan Zhou.There was total 3376 number of leprosy cases in Wenshan whose data was studied.For Nepal,the data was obtained from Leprosy Control Division,Department of Health Services,Government of Nepal,from the year 2011 to 2015.We also used the data from previous WHO records and studied them in an appropriate way.We then performed a descriptive and statistical analysis to make our study more purposeful and definitive.Results:A total number of 3376 cases were detected in the Wenshan prefecture from 1986 to 2015.The overall prevalence rate of leprosy in the Wenshan prefecture presents a decreasing trend between 1986-2015,with apeak(4.9/10,000 population)in 1986.The detection of leprosy in new cases was highest in males than in females.Visible deformity has increased every year since 2005 with disability of 34.8%in 2015 among new cases.In Nepal,there was total 2461 number of leprosy patients receiving MDT in 2015 which corresponds to the PR of 0.89/10,000 population.The new case detection rate in Nepal is also decreasing since 2012.During 2015,135 cases of visible disability(G2D)were reported in Nepal and its proportion among new cases was 4.42%,which is again in increasing fashion likewise in Wenshan.Conclusion:Wenshan has made noteworthy efforts in the control of the disease but there still remains sectors of the disease control that need to be worked upon like maintaining proper contact surveillance and enhancing activities for early diagnosis of leprosy cases to reduce the disability and ongoing process of transmission.Wenshan and Nepal share similarities in various aspects regarding socio-cultural features,geographical distribution,environmental factors and economical situation.Hence the trend of leprosy in both these places and the possible causes behind them somewhat show similar pattern as well and studying them is an initial and useful measure towards their control.