[The League of Nations Health Organization and the rise of Latin American participation, 1920-40]. / As origens da participação da América Latina na Organização de Saúde de Liga das Nações, 1920 a 1940.

The League of Nations Health Organization collaborated with Latin American specialists in public health and infectious diseases from the early 1920s to the outbreak of the Second World War. The League developed studies of infant health and nutrition, and leprosy. The approach was expert-oriented, and designed to develop public health on a scientific basis. There were conferences, tours and reports in Latin America. This paper demonstrates that the Latin American collaboration with the Health Organization was extensive and multi-faceted.

International Federation of Antileprosy Associations and National Leprosy Eradication Programme--an alliance that accelerated quality leprosy services.

One of the main objectives of National Leprosy Eradication Programme in India is to achieve elimination of leprosy at national level (1 per 10,000 population). There will still remain a considerable number of cured leprosy cases with some disabilities and they require physical, socio-economic and phychological rehabilitation. Therefore, leprosy services need to be continued in a sustained manner. There are some major challenges which are to be confronted in a comprehensive and systemic manner. ILEP has come out to work together with the government to reach a common goal of a world without leprosy. It has a long history of providing quality leprosy services. The activities of ILEP support have been mentioned in this article. While considering the further scope of ILEP support to NLEP in India some guiding principles were identified. The support will be planned in line with global leprosy strategy and its operational guidelines.

[Prevention of disabilities and physical rehabilitation of leprosy]. / Prévention des invalidités et réadaptation physique dans la lèpre (PIRP).

A survey of the prevention of disability policy and activities in a random sample of 200 ILEP assisted projects was conducted in 1995. This was followed by a workshop of field experts in different aspects of prevention of disability who work in different geographical regions. The survey findings and state of current knowledge on prevention of disability were reviewed during the workshop and recommendations on the planning, implementation, and evaluation of simple and effective prevention of disability developed. Prevention of disability includes complex activities, such as nerve decompression and reconstructive surgery, however these recommendations focus on the simple techniques and approaches which can be implemented through leprosy control programmes, primary health care and community-based rehabilitation. These recommendations have been approved by the ILEP Medical Commission, and reported in the ILEP Medical Bulletin (N degree 8, December 1995).

Leprosy control activities of the International Federation of Anti-leprosy Associations.

The International Federation of Anti-leprosy Associations (ILEP) founded in 1966, consists of 22 autonomous nongovernmental organizations raising funds from the general public in the North for anti-leprosy work in the South. ILEP Member associations support over 800 field projects in 92 countries, in addition to over 130 research and other projects with a total annual expenditure of about US+ 60 million. 72% of the resources are spent on leprosy-control activities, 12% on training, 10% on research and 6% on socioeconomic activities. About 55% of resources are devoted to activities of national/regional leprosy programmes. ILEP-supported projects had detected over 100,000 patients in 1988. ILEP Member associations introduced WHO-recommended multidrug therapy (MDT) quite early, and the coverage for MDT in ILEP-supported projects has increased from 8% in 1984 to 35% in 1988 (271,000 patients in 1989 out of 769,000 on treatment). ILEP Member associations are currently supporting approaches towards integration of leprosy control with other services, urban leprosy programmes and social and physical rehabilitation. Thanks to their flexibility, their sense of innovation and their commitment to the worldwide anti-leprosy campaign, ILEP Members are well placed to meet the challenge of making MDT available to all leprosy patients by the year 2000.