02064nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653000900055653003000064653003100094653001100125653001100136653002300147653001200170653000900182653001600191653002000207653003000227100001500257700001400272700002100286245011300307856005900420300001100479490000700490050001700497520122200514022001401736       1993                            d  c1993 Sep10aAsia10aDrug Therapy, Combination10aEmigration and Immigration10aFemale10aHumans10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMale10aNew Zealand10aPacific Islands10aWorld Health Organization1 aCornwall J1 aCameron G1 aEllis-Pegler R B00aThe effects of World Health Organization chemotherapy on imported leprosy in Auckland, New Zealand, 1983-90.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/1993/v64n3/pdf/v64n3a07.pdf  a236-490 v64  aCORNWALL19933 a<p>Between January 1983 and December 1990 in Auckland, New Zealand, 87 patients (28 paucibacillary disease (PBD) and 59 multibacillary disease (MBD)) commenced WHO multidrug therapy (MDT). All were immigrants from the Pacific Islands (65) or Asia (22). A total of 57 patients had already received non-WHO regimens, some continuously, but often intermittently, for many years; 30 patients received WHO MDT only. By December 1990, 50 had completed treatment, with 1 relapse and 1 late reaction, both in patients with PBD treated with WHO MDT only. There have been no relapses in those treated with WHO MDT after prior leprosy treatment. In those with MBD, type II leprosy reactions were less common (16%) in those treated only with WHO MDT than in those treated continuously before 1983 with older regimens (64%). Type I leprosy reactions occurred in about 20% of both these groups. The bacterial index fell faster in those who had had a prolonged prior treatment beginning WHO MDT than in those starting WHO MDT as their initial leprosy chemotherapy. Overall we found WHO MDT was well accepted and the compliance good, but 13 patients (15%) left Auckland before treatment was completed and 6 (7%) during follow up.</p>  a0305-7518