Leprosy in Puerto Rico: a decade later
Almodóvar, P.I.; Figueroa, J.
Boletin de la Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico 82(10): 466-468
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-4849 PMID: 2080962 Document Number: 700026
This paper describes progress in the control of leprosy in Puerto Rico in the period 1981-89, during which 75 new cases were diagnosed. Data were obtained from the Tropical Diseases Clinic in the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and from the National Hansen's Disease Program Registry at Carville, Louisiana, USA. The very considerable contribution of the latter centre in attempting to localize all patients of Puerto Rican origin is acknowledged by the authors. The data, which are presented in some detail, indicate a decrease of both incidence and prevalence of leprosy. Patients are getting older and tend to die from natural causes and the number of new cases diagnosed yearly is now less than half that seen in the previous decade. The improvement is attributed to the effectiveness of treatment and better socioeconomic conditions.[No details of chemotherapy are given, but in fact Puerto Rico has used dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin for the past 10 years, essentially following the regimens advised in the USA. Unfortunately, Table 2 has several mistakes in the printed figures and totals, notably under I (Indeterminate). The correct figures are available from the first author.]A.C. McDougall.
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