Abstract
Leprosy is a major problem in developing countries, with the number of cases estimated to be 5.5 million worldwide (World Health Organization (WHO), 1998). Since this disease involves severe handicaps, social stigma, and economic loss, the problems caused by leprosy are even greater than the number of cases would suggest. The chain of infection and the relationships between M leprae transmission and the human host are poorly understood. In the absence of precise tools to measure infection and considering that the diagnosis of leprosy is mainly clinical, it is somewhat difficult to estimate the true prevalence of the disease worldwide. Estimates presented in the WHO reports are based on information provided by national program managers and derived from registered figures, taking into account health service coverage and multidrug therapy (MDT) implementation.
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Hatta, M. (2003). Epidemiology of Leprosy. In: Marzuki, S., Verhoef, J., Snippe, H. (eds) Tropical Diseases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 531. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0059-9_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0059-9_23
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