Leprosy - Global situation

In 1991, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to make the elimination (prevalence rate of less than 1 case per 10,000 persons) of leprosy a global health priority.  Although virtually eradicated from Europe, leprosy remains endemic in many developing countries, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The introduction of multidrug therapy (MDT) in 1981, and its consequent almost universal adoption, has dramatically reduced the total number of patients on treatment at any one time. At the beginning of 2008, the global registered prevalence of leprosy was 212,802 cases, compared to 5.2 million in 1985.

MDT consists of three drugs: dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine. This drug combination kills the pathogen and cures paucibacilliary patients within 6 months and multibacilliary patients within 2 years with virtually no relapses. Prior to the introduction of MDT, many leprosy patients were expected to take medication for life. MDT has been made available free to all leprosy patients in the world.

Further information on the global prevalence of leprosy is available from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Last reviewed: 18 February 2010