THE INFLUENCE OF OPERATIONAL FACTORS IN THE PROFILE OF MONOLESIONAL LEPROSY CASES IN SOUTH-INDIA

A comparison of the profile of monolesional cases among new PB cases d etected in a Government Leprosy Control Unit (GLCU) and the field area of a Central Leprosy Teaching and Research Institute (CLTRI), both lo cated in South India, demonstrates that the proportion of monolesional cases among new cases detected between 1987 and 1991 was higher in ch ildren than adults, higher in females than males (only in the CLTRI)-o ver 95% were the tuberculoid type. A significantly increasing trend in this proportion could be seen in the GLCU but not in the CLTRI; an ex planation of this is based on the difference in operational aspects in case detection methodology adopted by the 2 areas-e.g. intersurvey in terval and mode of case detection. Such studies, focusing on single sk in lesions, help us in understanding the role of various possible oper ational factors in influencing the behaviour of the disease.