What does elimination of leprosy as a public health problem mean?
In 1991, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000. Elimination was defined as a prevalence rate of less than 1 case per 10 000 population. By the end of 2000, 108 of the 122 countries originally listed as leprosy endemic by WHO, attained the elimination goal at the national level. By the end of 2005, 116 of the 122 leprosy endemic countries have attained the goal. Extra efforts are still needed to achieve the elimination goal at the national level in the remaining six countries. The elimination strategy is based on detecting and treating all cases with MDT and thereby reducing the disease burden to a very low level. The key will be to ensure that all new cases continue to have access to MDT services.
