Al Samie Abdul Rahim, Al Qubati Yasin
Ministry of Health and Population, c/o National Leprosy Elimination Program, PO Box 55722, Taiz, Republic of Yemen.
Lepr Rev. 2004 Jun;75(2):164-70.
Although the prevalence rate of leprosy in the Republic of Yemen has dropped below the WHO elimination level of less than one case per 10,000 of the population, it is still regarded as a serious public health problem calling for continued vigilance, notably in the detection and treatment of hidden and undiagnosed cases. In the past, religious misinterpretation has generated adverse behaviour patterns towards people affected by leprosy, characterized by aggression, negligence and isolation. Until about 1982, following a visit of a leprologist (Dr S. K. Noordeen) from the World Health Organization, there was no leprosy control programme and attempts to establish one remained ineffective until in 1989, when an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Public Health and Population and the German Leprosy Relief Association. This led to the development of a leprosy control programme in four governorates, later extended to the rest of the country. This paper describes the progress made in the control of leprosy in the Yemen, 1989-2003, by the Ministry of Health and Population and the GLRA, in association with two local societies.
尽管也门共和国的麻风病患病率已降至世界卫生组织规定的消除水平以下，即每万人中病例数少于1例，但它仍被视为一个严重的公共卫生问题，需要持续保持警惕，尤其是在发现和治疗隐匿及未确诊病例方面。过去，宗教误解导致了对麻风病患者的不良行为模式，其特点是攻击、忽视和孤立。直到1982年左右，世界卫生组织的一位麻风病专家（S.K.诺尔丁博士）来访后，也门仍没有麻风病控制项目，在1989年公共卫生和人口部与德国麻风病救济协会签署协议之前，建立该项目的尝试一直没有成效。这促成了在四个省开展麻风病控制项目，该项目后来扩展到全国其他地区。本文描述了1989年至2003年期间，卫生和人口部、德国麻风病救济协会与两个当地社团合作，在也门麻风病控制方面取得的进展。
