Although Karnataka is considered a low leprosy endemic State, the prevalence rate in Koppal, Uttara Kannada, and Chamarajanagar continues to be higher than the national average of 0.63%. Overall, six districts have a prevalence rate above 0.5%.
While the number of new cases detected every year have come down considerably in the last 10 years, the percentage of multibacillary (infectious) leprosy cases among the new cases detected every year has been on the rise since 2015. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), multibacillary leprosy is a more severe form of the disease.
According to data from the State Health and Family Welfare Department, Karnataka saw 2,145 new cases from April to December 2019, all of whom have been put under treatment. Although the State’s overall prevalence rate is 0.34%, there are six districts where it ranges between 0.50% to 1%. Since 1986 till December 2019, a total of 5,77,890 cases have been released after treatment (cured) in the State.
While the district-wise data shows that Koppal has the highest prevalence rate 1.09%, Kodagu and Hassan have the lowest with 0.05% and 0.07% respectively.
There has been consistent rise in the number of new cases detected in five districts — Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chitradurga, Haveri, and Koppal. Belagavi has been reporting the highest number of cases since 2017-2018, when 229 cases were detected. The cases increased to 258 in 2018-2019 and 192 cases from April till December 2019.
Parimala S. Maroor, State Joint Director (Leprosy), told The Hindu that multi-drug therapy that is currently used to treat patients is very effective and the success rate is over 90% if patients adhere to the treatment protocol. “Since 2017, 10,749 patients in the State have been released of treatment,” she said.
Spectacular success had been achieved in reducing the burden of leprosy since the inception of National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) in 1983. The country achieved the goal of leprosy elimination as a public health problem i.e. prevalence rate of less than 1 case per 10,000 population at the national level by December 2005, as set by National Health Policy 2002. Although prevalence has come down at the national and State level, new cases are being detected continuously.
“In Karnataka, the prevalence rate dropped from 40 cases per 10,000 population in 1986 to 0.34% per 10,000 population in 2019,” Dr. Maroor said
To detect hidden leprosy cases, the State had taken up a 14-day Leprosy Case Detection Campaign in August and December covering nine districts in each phase. While 187 cases were detected in August, 291 were detected in December, she added.
