Leprosy in French Polynesia

Leprosy is a neglected endemic infectious disease in the Pacific region. In French Polynesia (FP), leprosy is no longer a public health problem at the national level, defined by the World Health Organization as a prevalence rate below 1 case per 10,000 population. However, even if its incidence has...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: D. Musso, C. Rovery, A. Loukil, V. Vialette, N.L. Nguyen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-05-01
Series:New Microbes and New Infections
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2052297519300101
Description
Summary:Leprosy is a neglected endemic infectious disease in the Pacific region. In French Polynesia (FP), leprosy is no longer a public health problem at the national level, defined by the World Health Organization as a prevalence rate below 1 case per 10,000 population. However, even if its incidence has dramatically declined in FP in the last decades, leprosy is still endemic at a low level. Here we present a case of leprosy in a 34-year-old man from FP diagnosed in 2018. Clinical and microbiologic examinations, including fluorescence in-situ hybridization, led to the diagnosis of a multibacillary leprosy, and multidrug therapy was initiated. There is a need to maintain leprosy surveillance and trained medical staff for the detection and treatment of new cases. Keywords: French Polynesia, leprosy, Pacific
ISSN:2052-2975