It's important how you build mod_perl-enabled Apache. The build process influences the size of the httpd executable—for example, some irrelevant modules might slow down performance.
When you build Apache, it strips the debug symbols by default, so you don't have to strip them yourself. For production use, you definitely shouldn't build mod_perl with debugging options enabled. Apache and mod_perl do not add these options unless you explicitly require them. In Chapter 21 we talk about debug build options in detail.