Sri Lanka achieved the leprosy elimination goal set by the WHO in 1995. The success in achieving this goal was mainly due to an effective social marketing campaign carried out in the late nineteen-eighties by the Anti-Leprosy Campaign programme. However, the WHO now identifies the country as a high-burden country in the region. This paper aims to present the pattern and trends of leprosy in Sri Lanka from 1985 to 2021 and the characteristics associated with changes over time. From the trends we have observed, we believe that more awareness programmes (similar to the early social marketing campaign) and targeted active case-finding activities will help to interrupt transmission in the country.
BT - Leprosy Review DO - 10.47276/lr.94.4.286 IS - 4 LA - Eng N2 -Sri Lanka achieved the leprosy elimination goal set by the WHO in 1995. The success in achieving this goal was mainly due to an effective social marketing campaign carried out in the late nineteen-eighties by the Anti-Leprosy Campaign programme. However, the WHO now identifies the country as a high-burden country in the region. This paper aims to present the pattern and trends of leprosy in Sri Lanka from 1985 to 2021 and the characteristics associated with changes over time. From the trends we have observed, we believe that more awareness programmes (similar to the early social marketing campaign) and targeted active case-finding activities will help to interrupt transmission in the country.
PB - Lepra PY - 2023 SP - 286 EP - 298 T2 - Leprosy Review TI - Leprosy in Sri Lanka: Epidemiological trends between 1985–2021 UR - https://leprosyreview.org/article/94/4/20-23075 VL - 94 SN - 2162-8807 ER -