01571nas a2200193   4500000000100000008004100001653001000042653002100052653001200073653002700085653003000112653001200142100001200154700001400166245015900180856010300339300000800442520092700450       2024                            d10aIndia10aBlanket Approach10aSDR-PEP10aSingle dose rifampicin10aPost-exposure prophylaxis10aLeprosy1 aSingh R1 aAgarwal A00aExperience with Administering Single Dose Rifampicin as  Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (SDR-PEP) for Leprosy Through  Blanket Approach in Uttar Pradesh, India  uhttps://www.ijl.org.in/published-articles/26062024081951/6_original_article__Singh_and_Agarwal.pdf  a1-33 a<p>Globally, the blanket approach of administering single dose rifampicin as post exposure prophylaxis (SDR-PEP) for leprosy is to be studied thoroughly. This is the first report from India on the blanket approach carried out in a village of Uttar Pradesh. A self-driven district leprosy officer witnessing high number of new leprosy cases from a village of Varanasi in 2017, screened the entire population of the village (33 houses, population 172), found 12 new cases, treated them with MDT, and administered SDR-PEP to the entire eligible population. Since then, this population has been closely followed. The last follow-up was done in 2023. No new case of leprosy was found during these six years of follow-up. Though anecdotal in nature, the report signifies the need to conduct systemic studies on the blanket approach for SDR-PEP, documenting its effectiveness in locations of varied endemicity and mobility.</p>