During the last two decades there has been a significant reduction in the number of new cases of leprosy throughout the world. This is due in part to an aggressive control program by the World Health Organization (WHO) and local health authorities.

Between 1985 and 2005, more than 14 million leprosy cases were diagnosed and treated successfully with multidrug therapy, with very few relapses reported.

By 2010 it is expected that there will be a further reduction of leprosy to very low levels, due to improvements in the quality of diagnosis, case management, registration practices and the development of good management information systems.

Sustainable leprosy services in all endemic countries have been established to provide easy and equitable access to quality services. It is important to note that services are being provided, not just through special leprosy treatment centers, but through general health services. This includes an efficient, integrated referral network.

Another key element in the success of the world wide leprosy program is the provision of adequate tools and resources for both the prevention of disability and for rehabilitation. This is working because of strengthened partnerships and collaboration between all partners in the project.

Increasingly, emphasis is being placed on the social side of the disease as well--the reduction of the stigma and discrimination that have been caused by historic attitudes towards leprosy. This social-justice approach involves not only individuals who have been cured of leprosy, but also their spouses and children--people who in the past have been the subject of residual discrimination.

A health center in the Democratic Republic of Congo

At present, there has also been a considerable increase in efforts to reach particularly inaccessible areas and underserved populations. In this push, it has been an important fact that, through WHO, multidrug therapy is available free of charge in all endemic countries.

It is realistic to say that both awareness and political commmitment are on the rise in all endemic countries, as they work to achieve elimination of leprosy. Elimination is actually a shortened form of "elimination as a public health problem," defined by the WHO as a prevalence rate of less than one person in ten thousand. This is the point at which national health programs are thought to be able to control leprosy on their own. Eradication on the other hand, is used to refer to a complete absence of the disease.

The Nippon Foundation is one of the key organizations cooperating with WHO in the international effort to eliminate leprosy.