LEPROSY

For the first time the number of leprosy patients in the world has fallen below 1 million. During 1995, about 530 000 new cases were detected.

(Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record 17 May 1996 No 71,20)

Is it really possible to do away with a disease that has afflicted humanity since time immemorial? It is no simple matter, since leprosy is an insidious, slowly-developing disease which flourishes mainly in the 'poverty belt' of the globe. It once affected every continent and it has etched a terrifying image in history and human memory, of mutilation, rejection and exclusion from society. Leprosy has always and everywhere been regarded as a special disease.

India, Indonesia and Myanmar account for 70% of all the cases in the world.

In Africa, the second most affected area, the situation is more difficult for the moment. The AIDS epidemic, the resurgence of the major tropical diseases, weaknesses in health infrastructure, social unrest and armed conflict make leprosy elimination seem like a luxury, an impracticable one at that.

The situation remains worrying in Latin America. Brazil and Colombia are particularly badly affected, and they account for over 80% of cases in that continent.

In Central and Eastern Europe, there are sporadic cases; it is impossible at present to tell how many such cases go unreported.