LEPRA

28 Middleborough
Colchester
Essex
CO1 1TG

Tel: 01206 216700
Fax: 01206 762151
Web: www.lepra.org.uk

Since 1924, LEPRA has been caring for and curing people of leprosy with the aim of eradicating this disease. The development of a simple and cheap treatment called MDT in 1982(multidrug therapy) now makes this objective possible. Early identification and treatment is essential in order to prevent patients from becoming permanently disfigured or disabled. LEPRA works in Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique. Other project activities apart from treatment include the following:

• Provision of support to patient groups
• Prevention of disability activities
• Social and economic rehabilitation
• Capacity building

LEPRA is a small organisation of nearly 70 UK and over 400 local overseas staff working on its own direct projects and supporting some government and NGO leprosy control programmes throughout the world. Although LEPRA's prime objective is the eradication of leprosy, it is also concerned about the impact of allied diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS and malaria. With over three million deaths annually, TB is the largest killer amongst these. Where appropriate, therefore, TB control is being added to existing programmes.

LEPRA also funds medical research aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of treatment and finding new methods of combating the effects of the disease. LEPRA has no political or religious affiliations and the vast majority of funding is through public donations. This is for overseas projects and not projects operated in the United Kingdom.