The effectiveness of a BCG vaccination
programme in protecting against leprosy
was assessed by case-control and cohort analyses of data
from the Lepra Evaluation Project in Karonga District,
Northern Malawi. Results indicate that BCG provides at
least 50% protection against leprosy in this population and
that protection is independent of age, sex, schooling status,
or location within the project area. Agreement between
these findings and those from a controlled trial in Uganda
indicates that BCG is sufficiently effective against leprosy in
East and Central Africa to be considered an important
element of leprosy control in that region.