[Leprosy control in Guadeloupe (French West Indies). I General organization notification and registration of patients (author’s transl)]

The French department of Guadeloupe gets good health structures and a high number of physicians in regard to its population. The Institut Pasteur of Guadeloupe is in charge of the leprosy control, with a team of specialized physicians who are in the same time microbiologists. The control methodology must take into account the fear still caused by the disease in the population, the patient’s request to remain anonymous, the rquirements of the law concerning the notification and the registration of every new patient, and the real contagiosity of leprosy. In thirty years, a pragmatic, effective and not too compelling approach has been set up. A full cooperation, has been developed between the private practioners, the Public health service with its hospitals for specialized treatments, and the Institut Pasteur in charge of epidemiological control.