The study reported by Moet et al found benefit at two years after rifampicin, but did not find any significant difference between rifampicin chemoprophylaxis and placebo treatment in the third and fourth years after rifampicin treatment.1 Mycobacterium leprae multiplies very slowly, and the incubation period of leprosy is about five years but can be up to 20 years (www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/ fslOl/en/index.html). Whetherthe absence of clinical cases of leprosy at two years after rifampicin treatment is due to rifampicin chemoprophylaxis or just due to subclinical infection within the incubation period can therefore not be established.
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