RESUMO
Before independence in December 1977, the control of leprosy in Bophuthatswana was conducted by specialized centres such as Mjanyana, Mkambati, Westfort, etc in the Republic of South Africa. As a result of this 'verticalization', very few cases of leprosy were diagnosed and treated in the general and/or community hospitals. Professional awareness of the disease in these institutions decreased and stigmatization of its sufferers by the community increased. In 1989, the first leprosy control programme based on the multidrug therapy as recommended by the World Health Organization was jointly launched by the Leprosy Mission of Southern Africa and the Bophuthatswana Department of Health and Social Services. The initial leprosy database for the programme was provided by the review of the medical records at Westfort Hospital (the only leprosy referral centre in the region) from 1973 to 1988 (15 years). This article reviews the epidemiologic course of leprosy in Bophuthatswana as it has evolved over the last 15 years, prior to the launching of the programme in 1989, and assesses the impact of the newly introduced control measures on the intended elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in the region by the year 2000.