WER: Global leprosy (Hansen disease) update, 2021: moving towards interruption of transmission

Download Document	Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Since the introduction of multidrug therapy (MDT), the registered prevalence has decreased substantially, from more than 5 million cases in the 1980s to 133 802 cases in 2021. New cases continued to occur, however, indicating continuing transmission of infection. Screening of contacts and chemoprophylaxis with single-dose rifampicin were recommended as a crucial step to break the chain of transmission.1 The Global Leprosy Strategy 2021–20302 was developed as constituent of the NTD road map 2021–2030,3 with the goal of eliminating leprosy (i.e., interruption of transmission).