Presence of an index case in households of newly registered leprosy patients: experience from a leprosy referral centre in South India

The global leprosy burden in terms of new case detection does not seem to show a declining trend. India continues to be one of the major contributors to the leprosy burden. It is well known that the presence of an index case is a risk factor for leprosy among household contacts. The Blue Peter Health and Research centre (BPHRC), a leprosy referral centre in South India, observed the presence of an index case in 27.6% of leprosy patients newly diagnosed during 2009-2013. A majority of the index cases were either parents or siblings. Early case detection is recommended in global and national strategies, but active contact screening is not in the purview of integrated leprosy services in India. Active contact screening may be considered as one of the major activities to further reduce the leprosy burden.