Leprosy

Leprosy is an ancient disease which is still poorly understood and often fe ared by the general public and even by some healthcare professionals. Fortu nately, improvements in the management of leprosy over the past three decad es have diminished the stigma and greatly altered the outlook for patients. Public understanding of the disease has benefited from WHO's goal of elimi nating leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000. Unfortunately t hat goal has also led many to believe that leprosy has been or will soon be eradicated. This will not happen in the near future because, despite a fal l in registered cases, the incidence of the disease has changed very little , and eradication of a bacterial infectious disease such as this is unlikel y with chemotherapy alone. Nevertheless, as a result of the WHO's efforts, patients nearly everywhere should have! access to care, and the incidence m ay begin to diminish if adequate control efforts are maintained beyond the year 2000. Given the mobility of patients today a physician anywhere may oc casionally see a case or be asked about the disease so a basic understandin g of leprosy and its management should prove useful.