Worldwide, nearly 41000 new leprosy cases were detected in the year 2004,among which 47% were multibacillary. Nearly 12% children were found to have leprosy. It is estimated that approximately 1-2 million people are permanently disabled due to the disease. According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report, 70% of cases are present in South East Asian countries, with India having the majoritycase load.

Indian situation

Most of the leprosy cases in India are present in Bihar followed by Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Currently the main features of leprosy control is based on early detection of new cases and followed by treatment with effective chemotherapy namely the multidrug therapy with special emphasis on providing quality patient care o leprosy patients.