Leprosy Prevention and Vaccination
By Liji Thomas, MD
Leprosy is endemic in several regions of the world. Currently the only protection has come from vaccination with BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin), a single dose of which gives 50 percent or higher protection against the disease. BCG is a component of the Expanded Program on Immunization and confers some degree of protection against tuberculosis, which is caused by a mycobacterium allied to M. leprae.
For this reason, BCG vaccination is used routinely in childhood in countries where leprosy is endemic, as well as for the household contacts of diagnosed leprosy patients. When the individual has developed a scar following the first vaccination, a second dose of BCG confers 50 percent protection in addition to that resulting from the first dose.
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Leprosy-Prevention-and-Vaccination.aspx
