Lockwood D N, Saunderson P R
ALERT, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
BMJ. 1995 Sep 30;311(7009):862-3. doi: 10.1136/bmj.311.7009.862.
Tuberculosis remains a leading cause of death in Ethiopia but there is no effective national tuberculosis control programme. By contrast, the leprosy control programme has been very successful, with a 10-fold reduction in the number of leprosy cases requiring antibacterial treatment, though patients with nerve damage require continuing care. The paradox of rising numbers of tuberculosis cases and declining numbers of leprosy cases may be solved by joint leprosy-tuberculosis clinics. The strengths of leprosy fieldworkers in control management, case holding, and compliance can be harnessed in developing an effective tuberculosis control programme. Implementing a joint programme in Ethiopia may be beneficial not only for tuberculosis patients but also for leprosy patients, who are thus brought closer to general medical services.
结核病仍是埃塞俄比亚的主要死因，但该国没有有效的全国结核病控制计划。相比之下，麻风病控制计划非常成功，需要抗菌治疗的麻风病病例数量减少了10倍，不过神经受损的患者仍需持续护理。结核病病例数上升而麻风病病例数下降这一矛盾现象，或许可以通过麻风病-结核病联合诊所来解决。在制定有效的结核病控制计划时，可以利用麻风病现场工作人员在控制管理、病例跟踪和患者依从性方面的优势。在埃塞俄比亚实施联合计划不仅可能对结核病患者有益，对麻风病患者也有益，因为这样一来他们就能更接近普通医疗服务。
