Minimal essential data to document contact tracing and single dose rifampicin (SDR) for leprosy control in routine settings

In leprosy control there is a renewed interest in active case finding, which
is increasingly being combined with chemoprophylactic interventions to try and
reduce
M. leprae
transmission. The Leprosy Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (LPEP)
programme, currently ongoing in eight endemic countries, pilots the provision of
single-dose rifampicin (SDR) to eligible contacts of leprosy patients. LPEP has
developed a surveillance system including data collection, reporting and regular
monitoring for every participating country. This system is still largely programme-
specific to LPEP. To facilitate continuity after completion of the project phase and
start-up in other interested countries, we aim at identifying the minimal set of data required to appropriately document contact tracing activities and SDR administration
for leprosy control in a routine setting.
We describe four indicators for the index case (plus four already routinely
collected) and seven indicators for household/neighbour screening, and community
surveys. We propose two generic forms to capture all relevant information required at
field and district level to follow-up on individuals or data if needed, provide guidance
on the sequence of tasks, provide quality control by listing key questions to assess
SDR eligibility, and facilitate reporting. These generic forms have to be adapted to
local requirements in terms of layout, language, and additional operational indicators.