26 July 2010
By Umesh Isalkar
Pune, India
A house–to–house survey will be carried out in parts of the city from Monday to find active new case detection rate (ANCDR) of leprosy among the urban population. The survey will also focus on disability and stigma surrounding leprosy in the community. The survey is part of the National Sample Survey taken up by the central leprosy division under the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
"The survey will be completed by the end of September. Our target is to find 30 active new leprosy cases in the designated areas during the specified time–frame," Arjun Wangikar, in–charge medical officer, supervisory urban leprosy unit, Pune city, told TOI on Sunday.
In Pune, the survey will be carried out among 2.5 lakh people at Kothrud, Kondhwa, Ramwadi, Kalyaninagar, as well slum areas of Janata Vasahat Parvati, Ramwadi and Dandekar bridge areas.
The primary survey would be done by multi purpose health workers – male and female, ASHA, and panchayat members. A second team of paramedical workers would screen all the suspects identified with experience in leprosy. All confirmed cases would be validated by a third team of validators (two doctors, one each from the ILEP and the government).
"Following the recommendation of a Parliamentary subcommittee to assess the burden of leprosy in the country, the central leprosy division has taken up the survey (ICMR/JALMA would be the nodal agency for the exercise). The report would be prepared by the end of November and submitted to the Parliamentary committee by March 2011," Wangikar said.
"The committee had advised that the final survey should involve panchayati raj institutions so that the government can have realistic figures of leprosy affected people to help devise a national policy," he said.
In its reply, the ministry informed the committee that a multi–centric study to assess the burden of active leprosy cases, leprosy persons with grade I and grade II disability and the magnitude of stigma and discrimination prevalent in the society will be carried out, Wangikar added.
A pilot study was carried out in Bareily district in UP. The results were discussed in a meeting at the Indian Council of Medical Research headquarters in December 2009.
"It was decided in the meeting that as it is a national sample survey, all states and Union territories will be represented and the number and selection of districts will be based on reported ANCDR. It was also decided that a meeting of experts will be called and the methodology of the survey and the sampling will be discussed and charted for the entire nation," said Wangikar.
Different methodology would be adopted for rural and urban population, as there were differences in the system of health providers, collection of data, population density, the way of living, large and variable migrant population and the rate of ANCDR, he added.
In Maharashtra, the survey will also be carried out in Mumbai and a few selected talukas in Kolhapur, Wardha and Aurangabad, Wangikar said.
The objectives
- To estimate new cases
- To assess leporsy by recording grade I and grade II disability cases
- To assess magnitude of stigma and discrimination prevalent in the community
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