A new plan in the campaign against leprosy in Anjouan. Preliminary results

Treatment of PB leprosy patients with 10 weekly doses of RMP 600 mg gave a cure rate of 88% or more at 3 years as judged by histopathology. There were no severe neurological complications. The future will show if this regimen also prevents relapses. In MB leprosy a 2 months regimen of daily RMP, ETH, DDS followed by 10 months of daily ETH, DDS with weekly RMP gave excellent clinical and bacteriological results. There were no relapses during 2 and 3 years after the end of therapy among 111 newly diagnosed and previously treated patients (95% confidence interval 3.3%) of whom 67 were new patients (95% confidence interval 5.3%). The hepatotoxicity of this regimen has to be followed closely. The results illustrate the possibility to cure MB leprosy by a treatment of finite duration.