GLOBAL ELIMINATION OF LEPROSY

In the past, control measures for leprosy were based on segregation of infected patients combined with various palliative therapies. The dis covery of powerful antibiotics effective in treating leprosy, and thei r increased availability worldwide, have renewed hope for significant changes in the global control of leprosy. Further optimism arises from the demonstration of the protective efficacy of BCG vaccination again st leprosy and the elucidation of cellular and molecular events associ ated with the pathological changes during infection. A number of epide miological problems remain - such as the precise mode of disease trans mission and risk factors for contracting leprosy. Also needed to compl ement current control strategies are better tools for diagnosing lepro sy in its earliest stages and a concerted educational campaign aimed a t eliminating the stigma associated with leprosy.