Sample survey of leprosy after three years of MDT in Bhavani taluk of Periyar District, Tamilnadu.

A sample survey of Bhavani taluk was undertaken in March 1992 three years after the introduction of MDT. Ten percent of the population was taken for the sample. A population of 45,781 was enumerated and 41,554 was examined. The three sectors were stratified according to the prevalence rate and classifying the villages by the size of the population. Villages were selected by random sampling. The sample survey detected 288 new cases of leprosy of which 16 (5.55%) were bacteriologically positive for acid-fast bacilli. The child rate was 13.54% among new cases. According to the sample survey the current prevalence rate per 1000 population was 9.07 (with a new case detection rate of 6.93/1000 population), much higher than that derived from programme data (prevalence rate 3.45) and the expected ten fold reduction of prevalence under MDT. Independent sample surveys of NLEP units after three to five years of implementation of MDT will help to assess deficiencies in the programme and enable us to take remedial measures.