Early detection of cases and treatment with multidrug therapy (MDT) remain the key strategies in reducing the disease burden due to leprosy. MDT also shortens the duration of infectivity and therefore reduces the risk of further transmission to healthy individuals in the community. Three decades ago, large numbers of leprosy cases requiring MDT were reported from more than 122 countries and over these years some 16 million patients were cured. In 2012, the global leprosy statistics1 show that less than 20 countries reported >1000 new cases, indicating that leprosy is gradually becoming limited to a small number of countries. WHO has twice updated the global leprosy control strategy since 2006, focusing on strategies to further reduce the disease burden due to leprosy, in consultation with national programmes of member states, partner organizations and donor agencies. Detection of all cases in a community and completion of prescribed treatment using MDT are the basic tenets of the enhanced global strategy.2 The strategy also emphasizes the need to sustain expertise and increase the number of skilled leprosy staff, improve the participation of affected persons in leprosy services and reduce the stigma associated with leprosy. The enhanced global strategy set as a target for 2015 the reduction of new cases with visible deformity or grade 2 disabilities (G2D) per 100 000 people by 35% compared to the G2D rate of 2010.
}, year = {2013}, journal = {Weekly epidemiological record}, volume = {88}, pages = {365–379}, publisher = {World Health Organization}, url = {http://www.who.int/wer/2013/wer8835.pdf}, note = {In response to objections of leprologists from around the world the reported new case detection rate has been corrected to 4.0 from 0.4 in the prior version.
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