01634nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002500055653003100080653003000111653001600141653003400157653001100191653002300202653001200225653001500237653001500252653003000267100001700297245004400314300001000358490000700368520097900375022001401354       1991                            d  c1991 Jul10aDeveloping countries10aDrug Resistance, Microbial10aDrug Therapy, Combination10aForecasting10aHealth Services Accessibility10aHumans10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aPrevalence10aRegistries10aWorld Health Organization1 aNoordeen S K00aRecent developments in leprosy control.  aS5-120 v433 a<p>Leprosy continues to be a major problem in the developing world with over 3.9 million cases registered in 1989. The control of leprosy had been considerably handicapped by the widespread occurrence of resistance of M. leprae to dapsone the most commonly used anti-leprosy drug. Together with problems of treatment compliance and social stigma this lead to leprosy control losing considerable ground. In response to the situation and taking advantage of the availability of more potent drugs, in 1981, WHO recommended standard multidrug therapy (MDT) regimens for treatment of leprosy in control programmes. The experience of implementating MDT all over the world over the last eight years has shown the regimens to be highly effective and acceptable. By 1990, nearly 50% of all the registered leprosy cases in the world were benefitting from MDT. The future prospects for leprosy control appear bright with major reductions in prevalence foreseen in the coming years.</p>  a0041-3232