01581nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001700055653001200072653001100084653002400095653002000119100001300139700001600152700001700168700001700185700001100202700001400213700001400227700001200241700001300253700001300266245004500279856007900324300000900403490000700412520083400419022001401253       2014                            d  c2014 Feb10aWorld Health10aleprosy10aHumans10aDisease eradication10aContact Tracing1 aSmith WC1 aNoordeen SK1 aRichardus JH1 aSansarricq H1 aCole S1 aSoares RC1 aSavioli L1 aAerts A1 aAertsh A1 aBaruaf S00aA strategy to halt leprosy transmission.  uhttp://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laninf/PIIS1473-3099(13)70365-7.pdf  a96-80 v143 aLeprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. The organism multiplies very slowly and the incubation period is more than 2 years. Symptoms, including lesions of the skin, peripheral nerves, limbs, and eyes, can cause severe disability and take up to 20 years or more to develop after onset of infection. The mode of transmission of M leprae remains uncertain but is widely believed to occur from person to person via respiratory droplets. Close contacts of patients are at the highest risk of infection. The disease, however, is curable and early treatment can prevent disability. Standard treatment is multidrug therapy, consisting of the combined administration of three antibiotics (rifampicin, clofazimine, and dapsone), or two (rifampicin and dapsone), depending on the bacillary load.  a1474-4457