Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - The United Nations World Health Organisation has issued a strategy 2006-2010 for reducing the leprosy burden and sustaining leprosy control activities.
The approach used by the new strategy represents an enormous success for WHO which is promoting an approach centered on the person, based on community interventions with full respect for local context, focalised on activities for prevention and rehabilitation, early diagnosis and health education. This approach marks a landmark change in WHO policies to control leprosy previously aimed mainly at reducing the number of cases receiving treatment.
The principal elements of the plan aim to support leprosy control activities in endemic countries, use reports of new cases as the main indicator to monitor progress; guarantee high quality diagnosis, registration and monitoring in all endemic communities; develop means and procedures based on the local community integrated and suited to the context for the prevention of disabilities and to assure services for rehabilitation; promote research in order to improve the implementation of a sustainable plan; encourage support work with partners at all levels.
The new strategy is the fruit of months of dialogue, consensus and mutual respect - wholly supported at the highest levels within WHO.months of dialogue, comparison and reciprocal respect, fully supported at the highest levels by WHO.
See: www.ilep.org.uk
(AP) (5/7/2005 Agenzia Fides; Righe:23; Parole:241)
