Leprosy in Saudi Arabia, 1995 - 1997

ABSTRACT

Considerable progress has been made in the fight against leprosy following the use of multidrug therapy [MDT] regimen. WHO declared the goal of eliminating leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000 which was not yet achieved in some countries due to operational obstacles. To study the epidemiology of leprosy in Saudi Arabia during the period 1995-1997. All reported cases of leprosy in Saudi Arabia during the period 1995-1997 were studied. Case definition and diagnosis were based on WHO criteria. In Saudi Arabia, leprosy incidence during 1995-1997 was declining. Results showed that 53.39% of the total cases were Saudi, 84.75% were males, 64.41% were of multibacillary type, 44.92% aged 20-40 years and 58.47% were unemployed and unskilled workers. Multibacillary cases increased with increased age while paucibacillary cases decreased with increased age. Cure rate using MDT was 72.88% with 3.39% mortality rate. Treatment outcomes were not significantly different in relation to occupation, clinical type of the disease, nationality and age. Conclusion: Although only a small number of newly diagnosed patients present each year, leprosy remains a debilitating disease. Thus, the most important component of any leprosy control program should aim at early detection of such cases to make them noninfectious by multidrug therapy