Abstract
BackgroundLeprosy elimination defined as a registered prevalence rate of less than 1 case per 10,000 persons was achieved in Kenya at the national level in 1989. However, there are still pockets of leprosy in some counties where late diagnosis and consequent physical disability persist. The epidemiology of leprosy in Kenya for the period 2012 through to 2015 was defined using spatial methods.MethodsThis was a retrospective ecological correlational study that utilized leprosy case based data extracted from the National Leprosy Control Program database. Geographic information system and demographic data were obtained from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). Chi square tests were carried out to check for association between sociodemographic factors and disease indicators. Two Spatial Poisson Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) models were fitted in WinBUGS 1.4 software. The first model included all leprosy cases (new, retreatment, transfers from another health facility) and the second one included only new leprosy cases. These models were used to estimate leprosy relative risks per county as compared to the whole country i.e. the risk of presenting with leprosy given the geographical location.Principal findingsChildren aged less than 15 years accounted for 7.5% of all leprosy cases indicating active leprosy transmission in Kenya. The risk of leprosy notification increased by about 5% for every 1 year increase in age, whereas a 1% increase in the proportion of MB cases increased the chances of new leprosy case notification by 4%. When compared to the whole country, counties with the highest risk of leprosy include Kwale (relative risk of 15), Kilifi (RR;8.9) and Homabay (RR;4.1), whereas Turkana had the lowest relative risk of 0.005.ConclusionLeprosy incidence exhibits geographical variation and there is need to institute tailored local control measures in these areas to reduce the burden of disability.
Highlights
In 1991, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to “eliminate” leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000
Leprosy elimination defined as a registered prevalence rate of less than 1 case per 10,000 persons was achieved in Kenya at the national level in 1989
Geographic information system and demographic data were obtained from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS)
Summary
In 1991, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to “eliminate” leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000. Elimination, defined as a registered prevalence rate of less than 1 case per 10 000 persons, was realized globally in the year 2000 and in most countries by 2005 [1]. This achievement was driven by the utilization of multiple drug therapy (MDT) as a strategy for elimination of leprosy. All countries with a population of one million or more have achieved the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem at the national level [1]. Leprosy elimination defined as a registered prevalence rate of less than 1 case per 10,000 persons was achieved in Kenya at the national level in 1989. The epidemiology of leprosy in Kenya for the period 2012 through to 2015 was defined using spatial methods
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