The sociocultural dimension in leprosy vaccine trials

This paper briefly describes organizational, operational, and sociocultural aspects of the phase-III clinical trials of the ICRC anti-leprosy vaccine in Maharashtra, India. Our experience is that vaccine trials can be launched quickly and more cost effectively by using the services of health personnel from the existing public health infrastructure. That is why the trials could be launched in just 4 months after receiving the financial grant from the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi (India). At the community level, a person-to-person approach in Health Education scores over audio-visual aids and the mass media. The compliance in target groups is increased when preventive programmes are backed-up by curative services and when their privacy and daily routine are not disturbed.