Hansen’s disease

Also called Leprosy

Notification class
Class 1 notifiable eventHealth care providers report it immediately on suspicion to the Medical Officer of Health at their parish health department, or to the National Surveillance Unit, within 24 hours of contact.

Case definition

Sharply demarcated anesthetic skin patches.

Specimen

Skin smear or Skin Biopsy

Laboratory

Refer to Dermatologist for specialist testing using skin smear or skin biopsy.

Timeline for investigation

2 weeks

Source: National Surveillance Manual

How it’s monitored

Notified as it occurs and followed up with an investigation report. The weekly bulletin gives confirmed cases for the year to date, beside last year’s.

The figures

The National Surveillance Unit publishes the latest figures every week.

For health professionals