Jill and Dr Cunanan recently spent some time in Vanuatu working with the leprosy and public health teams to extend their preventative programme to hot spots in the second largest population in Vanuatu, on the island of Santo. As well as training the teams who would be implementing the programme, they took part in community awareness sessions and assisted the doctors at the regional hospital to establish a system for taking biopsies from all new cases. This is important as the samples are sent to Christchurch where they are PCR tested for anti-microbial resistance to the drugs in leprosy treatment. Fortunately, no resistance to the main drug for leprosy treatment, rifampicin, has been detected, although some cases of resistance to dapsone, a secondary drug in the treatment, has been found in Kiribati. When this happens another drug is substituted.