Surveillance data and progress assessment of the targets of the WHO Global Leprosy Strategy 2016–2020: A retrospective registry-based analysis in Ghana
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014604
- PMID
- 42574492
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- —
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings indicate partial progress toward WHO Global Leprosy Strategy targets, with Ghana on track for elimination at the national level. However, persistent transmission evidenced by the pediatric case with grade-2 disability signals the need for continued surveillance and targeted intervention.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study assessed Ghana's progress toward the WHO Global Leprosy Strategy 2016–2020 targets by analyzing national surveillance data from 2017 to 2019.
Study design
This retrospective registry-based analysis reviewed demographic and clinical data from the Ghanaian National Leprosy Control Programme between 2017 and 2019, evaluating WHO-defined indicators including new case detection rates, grade-2 disability proportions, and treatment completion.
Population and setting
The analysis included 816 new leprosy cases detected through the Ghanaian National Leprosy Control Programme during 2017–2019, of which 43.9% were female and 4.0% were pediatric cases. Regional variation was observed, with the Upper West Region consistently exceeding the national detection threshold.
Main findings
Ghana's annual new case detection rate ranged from 0.86 to 0.93 per 100,000 population nationally, though the Upper West Region remained above the threshold of 1 per 100,000 across all three years. Of all new cases, 7.6% presented with grade-2 disabilities. One pediatric case presented with grade-2 disability at diagnosis.
Public-health relevance
The findings indicate partial progress toward WHO Global Leprosy Strategy targets, with Ghana on track for elimination at the national level. However, persistent transmission evidenced by the pediatric case with grade-2 disability signals the need for continued surveillance and targeted intervention.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Full interpretation of study limitations, data quality, completeness of registry capture, and generalizability requires access to the original published paper.
GIDS interpretation
The article was indexed under Leprosy, COVID-19, Ghana, Surveillance, and Treatment topics, providing context for discoverability within disease-specific and geographic surveillance literature. The COVID-19 classifier link likely reflects the study period context mentioned in the abstract. This summary does not constitute verification of a surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 7 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.