Childhood leprosy through the post-leprosy-elimination era: a retrospective analysis of epidemiological and clinical characteristics of disease over eleven years from a tertiary care hospital in North India

Abstract

Childhood leprosy cases and their complications continue to present in alarming numbers in India and this suggests possible gaps in the national programmes aimed at leprosy elimination. We stress the importance of continuous and sustained efforts for early case detection in the community in general, and close follow-up of susceptible children amongst household contacts of leprosy cases in the post-leprosy-elimination era.