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BCG vaccination: Effects on the patterns of pediatric leprosy
Tanusree Sarkar1, Somenath Sarkar2, Aparesh Chandra Patra2
1Department of Dermatology, Burdwan Medical College, Bankura, WB, India.
Insights
BCG vaccination may protect children against leprosy, reducing multibacillary cases. This study found a lower proportion of severe leprosy in vaccinated children, suggesting enhanced immunity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Immunology
- Public health
Background:
- Leprosy remains a significant public health issue in India's pediatric population.
- Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination is suspected to offer some protection against leprosy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate leprosy patterns in children under 12 years old.
- To compare paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) leprosy proportions in BCG-vaccinated versus unvaccinated children.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted on 137 leprosy patients under 12 years old in Eastern India.
- Patient history and clinical examinations were used, including verification of BCG vaccination status via scar presence.
- Data were analyzed to compare leprosy types between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.
Main Results:
- The majority of patients (71.53%) were aged 11-12 years; PB leprosy was more common than MB leprosy.
- The PB to MB ratio was 5.3:1 in vaccinated children versus 1.2:1 in unvaccinated children.
- A statistically significant lower proportion of MB leprosy was observed in the BCG-vaccinated group (p=0.0352).
Conclusions:
- BCG vaccination may play a role in bolstering cell-mediated immunity (CMI) against leprosy.
- The findings suggest a protective effect of BCG vaccination, particularly against more severe forms of leprosy.
Introduction:
Leprosy in pediatric population continues to remain as one of the major public health problems in India. BCG vaccination has been implicated in producing some protection against leprosy.
Objectives:
The present study intended to find out the patterns of leprosy in the pediatric age group (<12 years) and to determine the proportion of paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) leprosy cases among the BCG-vaccinated and nonvaccinated groups.
Methodology:
It is a cross-sectional study among patients with leprosy up to the age of 12 years attending a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India by comprehensive history taking and through clinical examination. The history of BCG vaccination was enquired and the BCG scar was looked for to determine the BCG-vaccinated and nonvaccinated group. After collecting the data in a predesigned case sheet, the data were analyzed.
Result:
Of the 137 patients included in this study, 71.53% belonged to the 11-12 years age, 27.74% the 5-10 years age, and 1 patient the <5 year age group. The sex ratio was 1:1.63. PB leprosy was more common than MB leprosy. Smear positivity, deformity, and reaction were not very frequent. Among the vaccinated patients, the ratio of PB and MB leprosy was 5.3:1, while in the nonvaccinated group the ratio was 1.2:1. Data analysis showed that the proportion of MB leprosy was statistically significant in the nonvaccinated group than in the vaccinated group (p = 0.0352).
Conclusion:
Our study pointed that BCG vaccination might have a role in enhancing the cell-mediated immunity (CMI).
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