Modified leprosy elimination campaign in Mumbai (Bombay), India--a report

With appropriate planning and preparation, a modified leprosy elimination campaign (MLEC) was undertaken in Brihan Mumbai (Bombay), which has a population of around 11 million. For the campaign, 4879 non-leprosy paramedical and non-medical personnel were trained and utilized as searchers. The MLEC revealed 1410 new leprosy cases, with a new case detection rate of 1.83/10,000. Over 80% of all cases detected were either single-lesion or paucibacillary (PB), and thus of limited significance with regard to transmission. Further efforts are required to detect and treat cases of consequence (those with more than five lesions and those with positive skin smears) and to identify reservoirs of infection.