No leprosy by 2000

No leprosy by 2000

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi: An accelerated target policy in
South Sulawesi is expected to free the local people from leprosy
by the year 2000, a local official of the Ministry of Health has
said.

"The accelerated target policy is expected to stop the spread
of leprosy in South Sulawesi," Dr. Udin Muhammad Muslaini, head
of the South Sulawesi office of the Ministry of Health, told
Antara over the weekend.

The province currently ranks fourth in Indonesia for the
number of leprosy victims, with 4,000 people affected. The first
is East Java, with 13,000 victims, followed by Central Java
(9,000 victims), and Irian Jaya (5,000 victims).

Udin said that the number of leprosy victims in the province
had already decreased dramatically. "In 1990 there were 15,000
victims registered here".(imn)