Multidrug therapy--the pathway for global leprosy elimination

Introduction of dapsone therapy paved the way for better and more humanitarian way of dealing with the leprosy victims who, prior to 1943, were simply rejected and segregated from society. Emergence of dapsone-resistant M. leprae and mycobacterial persistence provoked our quest for another solution. More drugs were discovered for treatment of leprosy. But the real breakthrough was the recommendation of regimens of multidrug therapy (MDT) for the treatment of leprosy by the WHO Study Group on Chemotherapy of Leprosy in October 1981. Subsequent world wide development of leprosy control activities was phenomenal. The impact of MDT has led to the cure of over eight million leprosy sufferers and the saving of one million patients from becoming crippled. Leprosy prevalence has decreased by 80% in ten years. By the end of May 1999 the leprosy burden remained concentrated in only 12 countries of the world. These achievements are mainly attributed to the development and worldwide adoption of the MDT programme.