Clinical, bacteriological, and histopathological characteristics of newly detected children with leprosy: a population based study in a defined rural and urban area of Maharashtra, Western India.

Background: Leprosy has been a major public-health problem in many developing countries for centuries. According to the National Leprosy Elimination Programme report of March 2012, there were a total of about 0.13 million cases of leprosy in India, 9.

Detection of previously undetected leprosy cases in a defined rural and urban area of Maharashtra, Western India.

Introduction: Leprosy has been a major public health problem in India for centuries. In India, between 2001 and 2005, the prevalence of leprosy was reduced by 80%. This sharp decline in the prevalence of leprosy alongside the cessation of active surveillance for detection of leprosy cases has raised a sense of alarm in the scientific community.