Title: How can leprosy be controlled?
Course: Communicable Diseases Part 2 - Ethiopia (Full)

How can leprosy be controlled?

Access to leprosy information, diagnosis and treatment with MDT remain key elements in the strategy to eliminate the disease as a public health problem (see Box 18.1). Elimination is defined as reaching a prevalence rate of less than one leprosy case per 10,000 population.

Prevalence refers to the total number of cases existing at a given time.

Box 18.1 Leprosy control measures

- Early case finding of infectious persons.
- Adequate treatment using combination of anti-leprosy drugs, multidrug therapy (MDT) and support for all leprosy patients.
- Public education about early signs and symptoms of leprosy, control measures and action against stigma and discrimination.