Leprosy Mailing List – November 8th, 2007
Ref.: A Note of
Warning from Brazil
From: Lehman L.,
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Dear Salvatore,
I would
like to respond to Elizabeth Poorman´s e-mail (LML November 5th,
2007).
I am very curious about some of her comments and observations
made about Brazil and the Brazilian Hansen’s Disease (HD) control
programme within the unified health system and hope that Dra. Maria
Leide (National HD Coordinator for Brazil) will
respond to her with specific data. Other Brazilian state
coordinators may also have comments about her observations.
I would be interested in knowing which HD control
programmes she visited in Brazil and in which Brazilian states.
She makes a comment that there is very low compliance to drug therapy
in Brazil because of secondary effects to drugs, ect. Would she
please clarify how she has came to this conclusion by giving specific
locations, state compliance figures ect.
I have observed more patients being frustrated or discouraged with
the drugs and treatment to control reactions but have seen less of
this with the actual 6 - 12 months multi-drug therapy (MDT) treatment. I
have also observed that discouragement in taking MDT is sometimes a
problem if persons are being treated in or near an ex-leprosarium
setting versus out patient clinics which are not near these old
ex-colonies. I am curious as to where she works and what kind
of work situation she is observing that patients are time and again
discouraging other patients from taking their MDT. In her
setting do patients take the fixed course of 6 – 12 months or is the
MDT used for longer periods?
Thank
you for the clarification.
Linda
Linda F. Lehman, OTR MPH C. Ped
Regional Prevention of Impairment and Disability Consultant (Americas
& Africa)
American Leprosy Missions
WEB: www.leprosy.org
Tel/Fax Brazil 55-31-3476-6842 or 55-31-9637-5576
lehman@uai.com.br
