title: Childhood Leprosy in an Endemic Area of Central India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study clinical-epidemiological aspects of children affected with leprosy in a high-endemicity area.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital-based study (April 2010 to March 2015) of newly diagnosed children (=18 years) with leprosy, from a leprosy research institute in Chhattisgarh, India.
  
  
  RESULTS
  551 new childhood cases were diagnosed constituting 16% of the total newly leprosy cases examined; 221 (40.1%) were multibacillary cases with 11.2% smear positivity. 243 (44.1%) had known contact history of leprosy, 17.6% of children developed Lepra reaction, and 17.4% had visible deformity. 68% of subjects completed treatment within the prescribed time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transmission of leprosy is still continuing in the area, and high disability and deformity rates are seen in children.
authors.affiliation: Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare and Regional Leprosy Training and Research Institute (Under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, DGHS, Government of India), Lalpur, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. Correspondence to: Dr Sunil Vilasrao Gitte, Deputy Director, Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare and Regional Leprosy Training and Research Institute (Govt. of India), Lalpur, Raipur, Chhattisgarh 492 001, India. sv.gitte@gov.in.
authors.forename: Sunil Vilasrao
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Gitte
authors.forename: Ramanath N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Sabat
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kamble
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007918:Leprosy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male