Relapse of paucibacillary leprosy after short course multidrug therapy

Among 25 patients who had short-course multidrug therapy as recommended by the WHO for paucibacillary leprosy, 3 were observed to develop relapse of their disease 8 to 12 months after completion of treatment. These three cases of relapse are reported in detail. The duration of chemotherapy recommended by the WHO in paucibacillary cases appears to be too short.