Acedapsone in the prevention of leprosy: field trial in three high prevalence villages in Micronesia.
The 1,659 non-leprous people in a Micronesian population experiencing an annual leprosy incidence rate of about 7/1,000 were offered 15 acedapsone (DADDS) injections during 1967--1970 for leprosy prevention purposes. Subsequent annual surveillance showed an initial cessation of new cases during the 3-year DADDS campaign, followed by a resumption of cases thereafter at a yearly level of about 2/1,000 with a longer pause and slower rise among those who received the full regimen. A secondary wave of cases that has occurred since 1973 among children born after 1968 shows that post-campaign transmission occurred, probably principally from relapsing multibacillary cases with onset before the campaign. Recommendations are made for a balanced, long-term control program with DADDS preventive treatment limited to contacts of multibacillary cases.
D000072:Acedapsone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003622:Dapsone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D008849:Micronesia; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012008:Recurrence
D000072:Acedapsone; D003622:Dapsone