Future strategies for global leprosy control

Reflections on Global Forum on Leprosy Control.

At the time of publishing the Global Strategy to Further Reduce the Leprosy Burden, it was envisaged that more detailed operational guidelines would be published to ‘enable countries to develop their own country-specific strategies and plans of action’. The plan was turned into reality (albeit later than anticipated) through a Global Forum on Leprosy Control that met in the University of Aberde...

Strategies for pro-active case-finding in leprosy control.

Immunoregulation of cytokines in infectious diseases (leprosy), future strategies.

Leprosy is a dynamic disease model in which distinct Mycobacterium leprae-responsive T cell subsets play an important role in host defense and control clinical and immunological spectrum. Th1 cells are associated with tuberculoid leprosy patients that have strong M. leprae-specific CMI-DTH responses. Th2 cells are expressed in lepromatous leprosy patients that are characterized by strong humora...

Detection and classification of leprosy: future needs and strategies.

This paper focuses on the obstacles and dilemmas in detection and classification of leprosy cases and suggested strategies for the same. This review attempts to raise some cardinal issues within leprosy diagnosis and the need for capacity building at clinical and field level in light of research conducted. It also recommends strategies to overcome these obstacles.

Global collaborations in leprosy research--the future is connected.

Collaboration between endemic and non-endemic partners has always been essential for leprosy research: patients and clinical knowledge are mainly found in endemic countries, whereas technical advances and opportunities are usually first available in non-endemic countries. During the period 1976–1995 the WHO IMMLEP and THELEP Special Programmes provided forums for the melding of basic and field ...