These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: A practical method of active case finding and epidemiological assessment: its origin and application in the leprosy control project in Indonesia.
    Author: Louhenapessy AA, Zuiderhoek B.
    Journal: Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis; 1997 Dec; 65(4):487-91. PubMed ID: 9465159.
    Abstract:
    Random sample surveys in the past have revealed high estimated against low registered prevalences for leprosy in several parts of Indonesia. A pilot project showed that the problem of cases that had not yet been detected could not be solved without the active participation of the local authorities, who proved able to overcome the stigma and to convince potential patients to go for examination and treatment. The pilot project was based on the principle of what are called exploration surveys, which were introduced by Sitanala in Indonesia in 1931. The Indonesian government decided to reintroduce these surveys in 1977 under the name of chase or trace surveys. They are carried out within the framework of the leprosy workers' routine duties and no additional expenses are incurred. Since then, thousands of patients of all types and with long case histories have been detected and brought under treatment. Without this "push" it is fair to assume that many would never have sought treatment voluntarily. In view of the experience in Indonesia, one wonders whether leprosy can be eliminated without emphasizing the importance of active case finding, especially in areas in which the disease is still highly endemic. Chase surveys also provide rough information about the local leprosy situation. Although of great value, they are not, in high-endemic regions, an alternative to random sample surveys which reveal, besides a wealth of additional information, the possible unknown sources of infection. A leprosy case finding pilot project carried out in Indonesia's Bantimurung subregency in 1977 identified 48 indeterminate/tuberculoid and 62 borderline/lepromatous cases in a population of 40,000. The majority of these individuals wanted treatment, but were reluctant to visit a health center because of the associated social stigma. As a result of these findings, the government decided to reintroduce exploration surveys to the South Sulawesi Province. Such chase or trace surveys are conducted within the framework of the leprosy workers' routine duties. To overcome stigma and convince residents to present for examination, local authorities conducted health education campaigns. In the course of chase surveys in the province's 155 subregencies (population, 4,960,000), 6280 new cases were detected, many of which had been present for a year or more. A random sample survey conducted in the Bone Regency immediately after the chase surveys (in which 1492 cases were detected) revealed an average rate of 6.7/1000 still undetected paucibacillary cases and 0.2/1000 multibacillary cases. Although chase surveys cannot provide the in-depth data generated by random sample surveys, especially in areas of high endemicity, they have greatly increased the number of leprosy cases detected and treated in Indonesia.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]