Incidence of Leprosy in Cuba in the Decade from 2012 to 2022

Abstract

Introduction: Leprosy is a chronic infectious contagious disease with incidence in several countries around the world. In Cuba, it has ceased to be a health problem since 1993; but new cases are still reported, with an average of 200 per year.

Objective: To characterize the incidence of leprosy in Cuba, during the decade from 2012 to 2022.

Method: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out. For the collection and analysis of data, the Statistical Yearbook of Health was accessed in digital format from the 2013 to 2023 edition. The variables were: incidence, according to years, sex, age group, and clinical forms of the disease. Descriptive statistics were used to process the information.

Results: Between the years 2012 and 2022, 2024 people were diagnosed with the disease; the years of highest incidence were 2012 and 2013 with 258 and 232 cases in that order, 55.53% of the sick people were male with 1130 cases; there was greater representation of the group over 15 years old, 1962 96.94%; the clinical form that stood out in the incidence of leprosy was lepromatous, 789 with 39%.

Conclusions: The tendency to decrease in cases, the predominance of the male sex, of the group over 15 years old and the lepromatous clinical form as the most outstanding, characterize leprosy in Cuba, in the years of the study.