01937nas a2200241   4500000000100000008004100001260005400042653002000096653001200116653002700128653001100155653001900166653002000185100001400205700001200219700001600231700001700247245011300264856007700377300001000454490000600464520122500470       2011                            d  c09/2011bPublic Library of ScienceaSan Francisco10aMicrosimulation10aleprosy10aIntervention scenarios10aInfant10aCase detection10aBCG vaccination1 aFischer E1 aVlas SJ1 aHabbema J D1 aRichardus JH00aThe Long Term Effect of Current and New Interventions on the New Case Detection of Leprosy: A Modeling Study  uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3176744/pdf/pntd.0001330.pdf  ae13300 v53 a<p>Leprosy is a contagious disease that will remain prevalent, despite the declining number of patients worldwide over the last century. With approximately 250,000 new cases detected annually, leprosy is far from being eradicated. Leprosy can be treated with drugs after disease detection. Some cases can be prevented with a tuberculosis vaccine (BCG) that cross-reacts with the bacterium responsible for leprosy, but this vaccine might be replaced in the future. Furthermore, preventive drugs can reduce the number of new cases among people in contact with infectious patients, but this strategy has not yet become established in common practice. Also, a new test is under development for the detection of infections before the appearance of symptoms. In this study, we used a computer model to assess the effectiveness of seven possible leprosy control activities. Our results showed that the decline in incidence of leprosy would slow down or halt with the introduction of a new tuberculosis vaccine that is ineffective against leprosy. However, this effect could be offset by the implementation of effective tests for early diagnosis or the routine administration of preventative drugs to contacts of patients.</p>