01685nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001260007800042653001700120653001200137653002500149653002000174653002000194653001700214100004100231245006900272856007600341300001000417050001900427520103300446       2009                            d  bWorld Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East AsiaaNew Delhi10aSurveillance10aleprosy10aLaboratory protocols10aField protocols10aDrug Resistance10aChemotherapy1 aWHO South-East Asia Regional Office 00aGuidelines for global surveillance of drug resistance in leprosy  uhttps://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/205158/B4232.pdf?sequence=1  a32 p.  a130.21.1 WHO b3 a<p>The eventual emergence of drug resistance is a significant cause for concern and threat to many infectious disease control programmes, especially when secondary prevention (chemotherapy) is the main component of the control strategy. For leprosy, a chronic disease accompanied by social stigma, drug resistance poses a serious impediment to its control. This is particularly worrying at the stage where a dramatic decline in prevalence and new case detection has been achieved after to intensive and concerted chemotherapy interventions made by the national programmes and its global partners. In order to meet the challenges of containing the disease and to sustain the ongoing declining trend in leprosy cases in endemic countries, it is essential to keep a vigil on drug sensitivity patterns in vulnerable settings. WHO has developed a simple guideline that outlines the standard tools and procedures for key components of laboratory and field protocols to be followed for surveillance of drug resistance in leprosy.</p>