Completed transmission projects
Preventive interventions, such as chemo- or immunoprophylaxis have proven to be effective means of interruption of transmission for other diseases. Post-exposure chemoprophylaxis (PEP) for contacts of leprosy patients in programmes that can adequately identify and manage these contacts, was included in the 2018 WHO Guidelines on Treatment and Prevention of Leprosy. Immunoprophylaxis has only recently reached the phase of human trials. The LRI supports research on both topics, including contact management for PEP, pre- and post-exposure vaccines and combinations thereof. Studies on the role of genetic risk factors, non-human reservoirs of M. Leprae and the genetic epidemiology of the bacteria are also needed.
COMPLETED PROJECTS
The epidemiology of leprosy in Cebu
Project coordination
Leonard Wood Memorial Center for Leprosy Research
Country
The Phillipines
This project researched transmission patterns within the community to gain information on leprosy epidemiology and found continued new cases and a slight shift towards a more severe type in Cebu, the Phillipines. Moreover, full application of molecular epidemiological techniques for leprosy control activities can give valuable insights into the dynamics of leprosy transmission in a given population and help identify here-to-fore unrecognized transmission networks but will require technical refinement. Results are available.