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3/2023 vol. 30
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CASE REPORT
Leprosy – neglected tropical disease in Pygmies inhabiting Central African Republic
Emilia Bylicka-Szczepanowska 1,2
,
 
Regina B. Podlasin 1,2
,
 
Krzysztof Korzeniewski 3,4
 
 
 
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1
4th Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Warsaw, Poland
 
2
Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, Warsaw, Poland
 
3
Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine, Military Institute of Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
 
4
Department of Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University / Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Gdańsk, Poland
 
 
Corresponding author
Emilia Bylicka-Szczepanowska   

Warsaw's Hospital for Infectious Diseases: Wojewodzki Szpital Zakazny, 4th Department of Infectious Diseases., 37 Wolska St., 01-201, Warsaw, Poland
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2023;30(3):570-576
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26444/aaem/161465
 
 
Article (PDF)
References (30)
 
KEYWORDS
Mycobacterium leprae
Central African Republic
leprosy
BaAka Pygmies
 
TOPICS
State of the health of rural communities depending on various factors: social factors, accessibility of medical care, etc.
 
ABSTRACT
Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease that is still present worldwide despite efforts aimed at elimination of the disease. The BaAka Pygmy community inhabiting rural areas in the Central African Republic is one of the most leprosy-vulnerable populations. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of leprosy in the BaAka Pygmy population. People living in the Dzanga Sangha protected area were regularly visited by a mobile clinic in 2019/2020. The diagnosis was based on the clinical manifestation of the disease. Deformations of skin and extremities were assessed. In a 12-month period 26 cases of leprosy were diagnosed and 25 patients received treatment. 24 of those patients were BaAka Pygmies, 10 were women, 7 were children under 15 years old and 8 were diagnosed with grade 2 disability. Presented data shows that leprosy in Dzanga Sangha region is not well controlled due to the high transmission rate. Efforts to diagnose and report new leprosy cases should be intensified.
ABBREVIATIONS
DS – Dzanga Sangha; CAR – Central African Republic; WHO – World Health Organization; MDT – Multidrug therapy; MB – multibacillary; PB – paucibacillary; G2D – Grade 2 Disability
 
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