SPM – MCQ 123 – Leprosy

All of the following statements about leprosy are true except :
A. Multibacillary leprosy is diagnosed when there are more than 5 skin patches
B. New case detection rate is an indicator for incidence of leprosy
C. A defaulter is defined as a patient who has not taken treatment for 6 months or more
D. The target for elimination of leprosy is to reduce the prevalence to less than l per 10,000 population.

Correct answer : C. A defaulter is defined as a patient who has not taken treatment for 6 months or more

The term ‘defaulter’ is used in patients with tuberculosis. They are the ones who return with sputum smear positivity after leaving treatment for atleast 2 months.