Leprosy

WHO's vision is for a world without leprosy. Its goal is to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem at the national level. The World Health Assembly resolution in 1991 translates this to less than one case per 10 000 population prevalence rate.

Dr Woo-jin Lew, WHO Philippines, with Department of Health Staff brainstorming on ways to strengthen the national leprosy control programme.

In the Western Pacific Region, the goal was realized in 1991. Globally, however, it was achieved in 2000. The change in the region's leprosy prevalence is mainly affected by the prevalence rate in the Philippines.

The leprosy situation in the Philippines

Leprosy at the national level was eliminated in 1998, seven years after the world's leprosy free vision was declared by WHO. However, pockets of leprosy cases still exist in the regions, particularly in Ilocos Sur and Southern Mindanao. In terms of absolute number of leprosy cases, the country ranks first in the Western Pacific Region.

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Publications and documents

• Leprosy control and the burden of leprosy in the Philippines, 2006-2010
  pdf, 2.38Mb
• Review of the National Leprosy Programme
• Enhanced Global Strategy for Further Reducing the Disease Burden Due to Leprosy, 2011-2015
  pdf, 519kb
• Leprosy elimination campaigns:impact on case detection, 2003
  pdf, 156kb
• Special action projects for the elimination of leprosy, 2003
  pdf, 367kb
• Twenty-five years of multidrug therapy for leprosy
  pdf, 642kb
• Special campaigns to eliminate leprosy: improving services,2004
  pdf, 312kb