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

With appropriate planning and preparation, a modified leprosy elimination c ampaign (MLEC) was undertaken in Brihan Mumbai (Bombay), which has a popula tion of around 11 million. For the campaign, 4879 non-leprosy paramedical a nd non-medical personnel were trained and utilized as searchers. The MLEC r evealed 1410 new leprosy cases, with a new case detection rate of 1.83/10,0 00. Over 80% of all cases detected were either single-lesion or paucibacill ary (PB), and thus of limited significance with regard to transmission. Fur ther efforts are required to detect and treat cases of consequence (those w ith more than five lesions and those with positive skin smears) and to iden tify reservoirs of infection.