Cojedes: a leprosy hyperendemic state.

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Leprosy, a chronic infection by Mycobacterium leprae, was targeted for elimination in Venezuela by 1997.
• Despite national goals, Cojedes State exhibited persistent high leprosy prevalence rates.
• Five Venezuelan states, including Cojedes, exceeded the World Health Organization's (WHO) elimination threshold (≤ 1/10,000 inhabitants).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current leprosy situation in Cojedes State's high-prevalence regions.
• To understand the epidemiological characteristics of leprosy in selected communities.

Main Methods:

• Focused on seven communities in Cojedes State with historically high and current prevalence rates.
• Utilized Spearman's rank correlation to compare historical (1946-1996) and recent (1998-2004) leprosy prevalence and detection rates.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant correlation (P < 0.05) was found between historical and recent leprosy rates.
• Leprosy predominantly affected males (60%-91.66%) and individuals over 15 years old (96.8%).
• Paucibacillary leprosy (indeterminate and borderline tuberculoid) constituted the majority of cases (65.35%), with multibacillary forms (lepromatous leprosy) at 2.36%. Most patients (96.6%) had no disabilities at diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Cojedes State communities demonstrate exceptionally high leprosy rates, indicating ongoing transmission.
• The findings underscore the need for continued surveillance and targeted public health interventions in these high-risk areas.