02511nas a2200181   4500000000100000008004100001260005500042653001800097653001600115653001300131653001200144100004100156245012500197856009300322300001000415050001600425520188800441       2006                            d  bWHO Regional office for South-East AsiaaNew Delhi10aE-publication10aElimination10aEnglish 10aleprosy1 aWHO South-East Asia Regional Office 00aReport of the seventh meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on the elimination of leprosy : Geneva, 4-5 April 2005  uhttps://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/206284/B0289.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y  a19 p.  a130.2 TAG b3 a<p>The seventh meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on the Elimination of Leprosy (TAG) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 4-5 April 2005. The meeting's main objective was to review and finalise the draft Global Strategy for Further Reducing the Leprosy Burden and Sustaining Leprosy Control Activities: 2006-2010. The large-scale implementation of the Strategic Plan 2000-2005 increased the coverage of leprosy control activities and brought many previously undetected cases to health facilities for treatment. The Global Strategy 2006-2010 addresses the remaining challenges to further reduce the global leprosy disease burden. Presentations were made on the long-term follow-up study that was conducted in India which adds to the evidence that the risk of relapse is low among highly bacillary patients who receive adequate and regular treatment with MDT. The complex relationship between social stigma and integration was discussed. Integration may result in reducing stigma, increase accessibility, ensure sustainability and promote equitable health care for all members of the community. The need for practical methods for checking the accuracy of diagnosis of newly-detected cases under programme conditions was also discussed. One approach would be for supervisors within the health services to review the diagnosis of newly-detected cases with their staff as a routine and to continually upgrade staff performance through on-the-job training. Progress with ongoing multicentre clinical trial for treatment of PB leprosy patients with single dose of rifampicin, ofloxacin and minocycline and the Uniform-MDT regimen for all leprosy patients was shared. The TAG recommends that the draft Global Strategy for 2006-2010 be reviewed taking into consideration comments from all participants and that an editorial group be formed to carry out the necessary revisions.</p>