Epidemiological and Clinical Profile of Leprosy in Zinder

Introduction: Leprosy is an endemic chronic bacterial infection caused by Hansen's bacillus (HB) and favorised by promiscuity and precariousness. The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiological profile of leprosy in Zinder.

Patients and method: this was a descriptive and analytical study on an exhaustive sample including patients treated with leprosy in Zinder-town from 2016 to 2020. Epidemiological data were collected through leprosy media.

Results: a total of 129 cases were collected on 16686 consultations, i.e. a frequence of 0,8 per 100. The patients’ mean age was 37.07 ± 15.51 years, with extremes of 8 and 87 years. Patients in the 24 to 35 years old group were predominant with a rate of 25.60%. The sex ratio (M/F) was 1.11. Housewives and farmers were the majority accounting for 43% and 32.8% of the cases respectively. The majority of patients (74.2%) live outside the city of Zinder and 62.79% of them live more than 9.3 miles away from their care centers. Bascilloscopy performed in 65.11% of new cases and was positive in 60.46% of patients. The multibacillary forms represented 94.6% and the new cases with a second-degree disability represented 37.98% of the sample.

Conclusion: Leprosy is common in Zinder with a predominance of the multibacillary form. Patients with second-degree disability accounted for 37.98%. This requires a large-scale intensification and extension of the implementation of leprosy control strategies in Zinder.