Noordeen S K
Leprosy Unit, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Trop Geogr Med. 1991 Jul;43(3):S5-12.
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.
麻风病在发展中世界仍然是一个重大问题，1989年登记的病例超过390万。最常用的抗麻风病药物氨苯砜出现广泛耐药，严重阻碍了麻风病的控制。再加上治疗依从性问题和社会污名化，这导致麻风病控制工作大幅倒退。针对这种情况，利用有了更有效药物这一条件，1981年，世界卫生组织推荐了标准联合化疗（MDT）方案用于控制项目中的麻风病治疗。过去八年在全世界实施联合化疗的经验表明，这些方案非常有效且可以接受。到1990年，世界上近50%的登记麻风病病例受益于联合化疗。随着预计未来几年患病率将大幅下降，麻风病控制的前景似乎一片光明。
