Surveillance of Leprosy in Kiribati, 1935–2017

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Chambers, Stephen T. ; Ioteba, Nabura ; Timeon, Eretii ; Rimon, Erei ; Murdoch, Helen ; Green, Jared ; Trowbridge, Emma ; Buckingham, Jane ; Cunanan, Arturo ; Williman, Jonathan ; Priest, Patricia
• Description:
  In Kiribati, unlike most countries, high and increasing numbers of cases of leprosy have been reported despite the availability of multidrug therapy and efforts to improve case finding and management. Historic records show that 28 cases had been identified by 1925. A systematic population survey in 1997 identified 135 new cases; the mean incidence rate for 1993-1997 was 7.4/10,000 population. After administering mass chemoprophylaxis, the country reached the elimination threshold (prevalence <1/10,000), but case numbers have rebounded. The mean annualized rate of new cases in 2013-2017 was 15/10,000 population, with the highest new case rates (>20/10,000 population) in the main population centers of South Tarawa and Betio. Spread is expected to continue in areas where crowding and poor socioeconomic conditions persist and may accelerate as sea levels rise from climate change. New initiatives to improve social conditions are needed, and efforts such as postexposure chemoprophylaxis should be implemented to prevent spread.
• Subjects:
  Bacteria Crowding Kiribati Leprosy Makogai Mycobacterium Leprae Surveillance Of Leprosy In Kiribati, 1935–2017 Synopsis Tuberculosis And Other Mycobacteria
• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 26(5):833-840
• Pubmed ID:
  32308192
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC7181941
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Volume:
  26
• Issue:
  5
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:cffcafd62a1d54297cafc069c8d26b71d1be36044148b167f115c5f208ea60d8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/87646/cdc_87646_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 846.30 KB ]