During a leprosy elimination campaign, field teams examine only the household contacts of every newly diagnosed multibacillary leprosy patient for hypoanaesthetic skin patches, and the remainder of the community is not examined. This screening approach is best described as:
- A Multiphasic screening
- B Mass screening
- C Selective screening ✓
- D Surveillance screening
Correct answer: C. Selective screening
Explanation
Selective screening applies the test only to defined high-risk groups, here household contacts of multibacillary leprosy who carry the highest risk of infection. Mass screening would involve examining the entire population irrespective of risk. Multiphasic screening means applying several different tests together to a group, and surveillance screening is not a recognized category in Park's classification of screening types.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 26th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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