## WHO MDT Regimen for Paucibacillary Leprosy **Key Point:** The standard WHO MDT regimen for paucibacillary (PB) leprosy consists of **Rifampicin + Dapsone for 6 months**. ### Dosing Schedule - **Rifampicin:** 600 mg once monthly (supervised) + 450 mg daily (unsupervised) - **Dapsone:** 100 mg daily (unsupervised) - **Duration:** 6 months - **Total supervised doses:** 6 monthly doses ### Classification of PB Leprosy Paucibacillary leprosy includes: - Tuberculoid leprosy (TT) - Borderline tuberculoid leprosy (BT) - Indeterminate leprosy (I) **High-Yield:** PB leprosy has ≤5 skin lesions and negative slit-skin smear (SSS). The 2-drug regimen is sufficient because the bacillary load is low and immune response is strong. ### Why Not 3-Drug Regimen? The 3-drug regimen (Rifampicin + Dapsone + Clofazimine) is reserved for **multibacillary (MB) leprosy**, which has higher bacillary burden and requires 12 months of treatment. **Clinical Pearl:** Cure is declared after completion of MDT and clinical improvement; relapse rate is <1% in PB leprosy with this regimen. 
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