ILEP support to the Brazilian leprosy programme

Leprosy Mailing List, April 19, 2009

 

Ref.:    ILEP support to the Brazilian leprosy programme

From:  Soutar D., London, UK

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Dear Salvatore,

Following the contentious news article posted by Dr Clovis Lombardi and the responses from a number of readers I thought I should share with readers an extract from a letter I recently sent to the Brazil National Programme indicating ILEP’s continuing support for their current policy and priorities with regard to leprosy control.  It was sent on 6^th March and included the following:

“ILEP, as you know, endorsed the WHO Global Strategy 2006-2010 with its focus on sustainable leprosy control activities and considers that the approach taken by the Brazilian PNCH is wholly in line with this strategy. ILEP has therefore welcomed the Brazilian Programme’s focus on indicators of new case detection, child cases and on the particularities of the leprosy problem in Brazil .

For ILEP, the achievement of a prevalence-based elimination target is no longer the central focus. ILEP Members are supporting programmes where the emphasis is on timely case detection and sustaining the quality of leprosy control activities. We understand that each country has to tailor its efforts in this work to reflect its own epidemiological realities and we commend the Brazilian National Programme for its position with regard to this fact.

Please be assured of the continuing commitment of ILEP Members working inBrazil to the goal of achieving sustainable leprosy control.”

Best regards,

Douglas Soutar
Mr Douglas Soutar
General Secretary
International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations
doug.soutar(at) ilep.org.uk ; 
www.ilep.org.uk
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7602 6925