June 13 1987, 4:32 p.m.

Today was my last day at the leprosy hospital in South Africa! Tonight I will be leaving for America! I realized this morning that I have learned almost everything about leprosy- except the treatment! That's funny, because the reason we were sent here was to treat leprosy patients. While others in my group were doing that, I've been observing and taking notes. When I asked my group leader, he agreed to let me go with them and learn about the cure for leprosy today.

MDT

While listening to the doctors and my group at the hospital, I learned that over the years, many drugs and treatments for leprosy have been tried, but so far only one works. That is called MDT, a mixture of three drugs: dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine. There has to be three drugs because if a patient only takes one or two, the leprosy bacteria adapts itself and is able to resist the medicine. MDT really works! After just three days of taking MDT, you aren't contagious anymore. Leprosy patients that take MDT regularly are usually completely cured from six months to three years! MDT does have to be taken at very specific times, and amounts. If it isn't exact, it doesn't work as well.