What is it about?
A house to house survey was done to screen the community for leprosy in in a village in Puttlam district in Sri Lanka. This community was displaced from the northern district of the country following the civil war. A high number of patients were detected from this community.
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Why is it important?
Leprosy was declared as eliminated in Sri Lanka in 1995 but this survey showed that there could be undetected pockets of leprosy patients in high risk setting. By identifying these patients, health officials were able to treat them and thereby prevent disabilities and complications
Perspectives
Rediscovering leprosy when all thought it is no more a problem was an eye opener for me. You never know, what will happen in a chronic communicable disease like leprosy -sometimes the disease may lie dormant for 30 years and suddenly a patch appears. It was great to share this knowledge with the world , thanks to my co-authors, who untiringly helped with the work and publication and the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health for publishing
Dr Thushani T M E Dabrera
Ministry of Health
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Prevalence and Correlates of Leprosy in a High-Risk Community Setting in Sri Lanka, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, September 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1010539516666360.
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