Present and future of Leprosy Works

Abstract

Convinced with an effectiveness of MDT for curing leprosy as an infections disease since 1982, WHO has presented to the 44th World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 1991, a resolution on “The Elimination of Leprosy, as a public health problem, by year 2000”, with a numerical target of achieving a prevalence of leprosy of one case per 10, 000 population, and it was unanimously adopted. Since then all the leprosy endemic countries of the world has expanded their MDT programmes to cover the whole country, aided by free availability of MDT drugs through WHO since 1995, and succeeded in reaching the target on global basis at the end of 2000, with reduction of leprosy endemic countries down to 12 from nearly 100. At the WHA of 2000, WHO has put a new resolution to achieve the same target, at a national level, by 2005, and the programme is progressing reasonably well in terms of reducing the number of cases registered.
However this single minded endeavor of WHO is causing some difficulties, in terms of more comprehensive care of patients, specially in POD and rehabilitation activities. In addition, WHO's public announcements give a strong impression that by the end of 2005 all leprosy problems will be solved with nothing more to do beyond that time. In this presentation, what has been achieved so far, and what needs to be done will be presented briefly. Then various issues facing us currently will be discussed in relation to a realistically perceived final goal, which the speaker defines as “A World without Leprosy related Problems, both medical and social”, rather than more commonly accepted “Eradication of Leprosy” or “A World without Leprosy”, and explains the reasons.
Finally leprosy within the context of human history is discussed rather briefly, pointing out that leprosy patients, throughout history and almost everywhere in the world, suffered a worst case of human rights violation to any minority groups, because they have been conceived as a group of people totally alien to the society. The speakers believe that true understanding of the basic nature of leprosy problems and efforts to solve them will contribute to improved human relationship in general in the world, where any minorities need not to suffer any more, and able to coexist with the surrounding majorities.