Leprosy in a high-prevalence Egyptian village: epidemiology and risk factors.

Background: The epidemiology of leprosy in rural Egypt is unknown. This prospective household survey was conducted in a high-prevalence Egyptian village in order to explore the epidemiologic characteristics of the disease and to determine the possible socioeconomic and HLA genotype risk factors.

Methods: The subjects of the study were the residents of Kafr-Tambul village in the Dakahlia governorate, Egypt.