Leprosy Cases Persist in Chennai Industrial Zones
A recent public health analysis has found that leprosy continues to persist in certain industrial and border areas of Chennai, despite the city’s overall low case burden. The presence of new cases, especially among children, has raised concerns about ongoing transmission in specific localities rather than residual infections from the past.
Higher Child Cases in Identified Hotspots
Health data from recent years show that while most parts of Chennai report stable or declining leprosy numbers, a few industrial zones and peripheral areas record significantly higher detection rates. Several of these locations have reported child leprosy cases, which experts say is a strong indicator of active and recent transmission within the community.
Industrial and Migrant Settings Under Focus
The study points to densely populated industrial belts, migrant worker settlements and temporary housing clusters as key risk environments. Frequent movement of workers, overcrowding and limited access to early healthcare are believed to contribute to delayed detection and sustained spread. A large proportion of cases were classified as multibacillary, the more infectious form of leprosy.
Limits of Household Screening
Researchers noted that routine screening of household and close contacts did not always identify new cases, suggesting that transmission may be occurring outside traditional family settings. This finding highlights the limitations of relying solely on household contact tracing in highly mobile urban populations.
Need for Targeted Public Health Action
Public health experts have called for enhanced surveillance in industrial areas, focused screening of migrant populations and community-based detection drives. While India maintains its leprosy elimination status at the national level, the Chennai findings underline the need for targeted local interventions to prevent further spread.
