Leprosy in Northern India

Abstract

The twice-repeated total survey was carried out in three villages just near to the JAL-MA center, in the suburbs of the city of Agra, U. P. state, India, in the years of 1972, 1973 and after the interval of 12 years, in 1984. The house to house visit was repeated several times to observe all the people of the villages especially to observe the children. The lane and all the houses with their house number were drawn on the village maps which were always referred on visiting. The survey work was completed by the earnest helps of the assistants of the JALMA center.In the first survey of 1972, two leprosy patients were registered in D-village (Deem kanagara) ; a 65 year old male lepromatous leprosy patient and a 65 year old female tubercu-loid leprosy patient. Further, in P-village (Nagara Pyarelal), also two patients were registered, a 70 year old male lepromatous leprosy patient and a 60 year old female tuberculoid leprosy patient. In the third B-village (Bangus kee ghari) any leprosy patients were not registered. Two patients in D-village were in the relation of cousin brother-sister from father side.In 1972, the population of the villages was 235, 532 and 80 for D-village, P-village and B-village respectively. The prevalence rate for the villages was 8.5, 3.7 and 0.0 for one thousand population for D-, P- and B-villages respectively. As D- and P-villages seemed to form a local society due to their neighbouring situation in the field, so the prevalence rate for the small local society was calculated as 5.2 for one thousand population.The value was lower than the value of five villages (16.7) of Ghatampur tahsil in Kan-pur district which is located in the central part of U. P. state. Generally speaking, in U. P. state, the prevalence rate is higher in the northern and eastern districts and lower in the western districts. The result fitted well to the conception for the distribution of the leprosy patient in U. P. state.In the survey of 1984, it was discovered that all the patients had expired about three or five years before. The population in the second survey was 269, 606 and 163 for D-, P- and B-villages respectively. The rough increase rate was 15 % for D- and P-villages and it was higher to 104 % for B- village. The high value of the rate for B-village was due to total family immigulation to the village. The average increase rate for the rural area of Agra district was 23 % for the period of 1961-1971. The rough increase rate for D- and P-villages was less than the average value. Some grade of population decreasing was noticed in the age group of 0-4 years old in the villages and the influence of the family planning pro-pagation would not be neglected for the phenomenon.In 1984, twelve years after the first survey, any leprosy patients were not living in the concerned villages and no patients were newly discovered there.