Leprosy situation in the world and multidrug therapy coverage

ABSTRACT

Leprosy is still a major public health problem in most countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Leprosy patients with disabilities continue to be an important cause for concern and a socioeconomic burden in these countries. However, compared with what was observed about a decade ago, the leprosy situation has vastly improved, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. This largely results from the introduction of multidrug therapy (MDT) in the early 1980s. The present report is essentially an update on the progress made since October 1990 (AU)