Leprosy – Global situation

Overview

In 1991, WHO and its Member States committed them-selves to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000, elimination being defined as prevalence < 1 case per 10 000 population.

At the beginning of 2000, 641 091 leprosy cases were registered for treatment and 678 758 cases were newly detected in the world (as reported by 91 countries).

See the latest available information from all countries and indicates that just a year before the elimination target date, the prevalence rate at the global level is around 1.25 per 10 000 population. Among 122 countries considered endemic in 1985, 98 countries have reached the elimination goal and the global prevalence has been reduced by 86%. More than 10 million patients had been cured by multi-drug therapy (MDT) by the end of 1999.The latest available information concerning prevalence and detection by country.