LONG-TERM EFFECT OF LEPROSY CONTROL IN 2 PREFECTURES OF CHINA, 1955-1993

In Weifang Prefecture, Shandong Province, and Wenshan Prefecture, Yunn an Province of China, leprosy was highly prevalent in the 1950s. Due t o differences in geographical conditions and socioeconomic development , the decline in leprosy prevalence between 1955 and 1993 was 99.5% (1 0.1 to 0.05/10,000) in Weifang and 93.9% (19.7 to 1.2/10,000) in Wensh an. The decrease in the detection rate was 99.9% (35.2 to 0.05/10,000) in Weifang and 91.7% (69.9 to 5.8/10,000) in Wenshan. The decrease wa s more apparent in these two prefectures since the implementation of m ultidrug therapy (MDT) in 1986. Findings such as specific detection ra tes by age, sex and type, as well as the multibacillary, child, and de formity rates of patients detected since 1980 were studied. Using the detection and prevalence rates between 1980 and 1993, the number of pa tients until the year 2000 is extrapolated for these two prefectures.