Leprosy: comparing Indonesia with the World

• Leprosy is not yet 100% eliminated but improving thanks to MDT (Multidrug Therapy)…but less and less attention is devoted to it (only 25 attendees are present)
• Leprosy is part of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) according to the WTO: http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/)
  • The NTD’s in Indonesia are Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy), NTDs in Indonesia are Filaria, soil transmitted helminthic infections, yaws and schistosomiasis (there are 17 according to the WHO)
• According to the WHO a disease is eliminated when the prevalence falls below 1 in 10000. Indonesia achieved this number in 2002.
• The top 3 countries in the SEAR (South-East Asia Region) are (CDR):
  • Nepal 0.93 cases per 10000 population
  • India 0.91 cases per 10000 population
  • Indonesia 0.74 cases per 10000 population
• 70% of new cases reported worldwide are from SEAR region (globally 232857 cases were reported in 2012)
• Countries with more more than 1000 new cases detected (2012) (in decreasing order):
  • India
  • Brazil
  • Indonesia
  • Nigeria
  • Ethiopia
  • Bangladesh
  • Nepal
  • Congo

Source of Information: Soebono H. Leprosy to be a neglected Disease in Indonesia ? Leprosy and other Mycobacteriosis – Status Update. 2014 (4) – 21st Regional Conference of Dermatology; Danang (Vietnam)

Special Thanks to Dr B. Sihombing (WHO in Indonesia) for his valuable comments.

Original article: here