Prevalence of Leprosy in Lower -Middle- Income and Upper -Middle-Income Countries: A Secondary Data Analysis

Authors

Venkatesh Ramaswamy Naik, Universiti Tunku Abdul RahmanFollow
Rishikha Jeyapal, Perdana UniversityFollow

Designation

Associate professor,

Department of Pre -Clinical Sciences,

Faculty of Medical and Health sciences,

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

Jalan Sungai long, Bandar Sungai Long 43000, kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

Tel:03-90860288

Email: drvenkateshnaik@gmail.com

Abstract

Abstract

To Study the Prevalence of Leprosy in Lower -Middle- Income and Upper -Middle-Income Countries

Introduction: Leprosy is an infectious disease affecting the nerves causing loss of sensation of touch and pain in the affected areas. The prevalence of leprosy in different countries has changed over time with the governments of the respective countries intensifying their efforts and working on various public health programs. Objective: This study aimed to look into the prevalence rates of leprosy per 1000000 population in lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income countries. Material and Method: The prevalence rates per 1000000 population were obtained from the Global Health Observatory (GHO) repository by WHO. Countries classified under lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income were chosen from the World Bank classification. Articles were chosen from databases like PubMed, EBSCOhost (MEDLINE and Cochrane), and other online journals from the Google search engine. Articles were preferably chosen from the timeline 2012-2020 but articles outside this timeline were also taken to look into the measures taken by the different governments for Leprosy control. Results: Among the lower-middle-income countries, Nepal had the highest prevalence rate per 1000000 population while Pakistan had the lowest. Most of the upper-middle-income countries had an acceptable prevalence rate except Brazil. Conclusion: Most lower-middle-income countries have a high prevalence rate, necessitating strict public health measures. The upper-middle-income countries have slightly lower prevalence rates, however with few countries being exceptions.

Recommended Citation

Ramaswamy Naik, Venkatesh and Jeyapal, Rishikha (2023) "Prevalence of Leprosy in Lower -Middle- Income and Upper -Middle-Income Countries: A Secondary Data Analysis," Manipal Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, .
DOI:
Available at: https://impressions.manipal.edu/mjnhs/vol9/iss2/4