title: Leprosy elimination campaign in Qazvin province, Islamic Republic of Iran (2006-07).
abstract: Multi-drug therapy (MDT) and Leprosy Elimination Campaigns (LEC) are the major strategies for eliminating leprosy. We report the results of a LEC conducted in 2006 in Qazvin. A total of 1987 individuals (1379 household contacts of 319 registered leprosy patients and 608 people from 3 endemic villages with a high prevalence of leprosy) were examined for detection of new cases of leprosy. All new cases were given MDT and were reviewed after a year. There were 256 suspected cases of leprosy, 13 of whom were confirmed as new cases (7 were classified as multibacillary leprosy). None had visible deformity nor was < 20 years old. All patients completed the recommended MDT course. The few cases detected suggest that in low prevalence areas, a long-term approach of integrated leprosy services and disability management may be more appropriate than LEC as a leprosy elimination strategy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Bou-Ali Hospital, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Islamic Republic of Iran. rqasemibarqi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qasemi-Barqi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bijani
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Pahlevan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D056006:Leprosy, Multibacillary; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care
chemical_list: D007917:Leprostatic Agents