Mozambique

History of leprosy in Mozambique

Leprosy spread from Eastern Africa downwards to Mozambique between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries.

Mozambique gained independence from Portuguese rule on 25^th June 1975. At that time the Government nationalised many private institutions including health services. Civil war followed. It raged until 1992 and cut many rural areas off from the capital, services and the government. Since the end of conflict much has been done to reconstruct their health system. However, it is now facing a critical shortage of human resources for health care.

In 1982 multi-drug therapy for leprosy was introduced and since 1996 all people affected by leprosy have been treated free of charge. The Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development is currently providing these drugs. The Ministry of Health is also carrying out its anti-leprosy activities in partnership with the World Health Organization and ILEP Members.

Between 2000 and 2006 Mozambique implemented intensified activities in five leprosy endemic provinces: Cabo Delgado, Manica, Nampula, Niassa and Zambezia. Today there is a leprosy database in Cabo Delgado province that is being made available to other provinces in Mozambique, which now have laptops, to facilitate the management of medical information. In 2006 Mozambique recorded among the fourth highest number of new cases of leprosy in the world: 3,637. In 2008 the Government of Mozambique plans to buy 800 bicycles for use by community workers carrying out anti-tuberculosis work, who also assist with other diseases such as leprosy to increase coverage.

By the end of 2008 Mozambique is aiming to achieve a rate of less than one case of leprosy per 10,000 inhabitants. 

Futher Information

More information can be found on:
- the leprosy pages of the website of the WHO African Regional Office: http://www.afro.who.int/leprosy/index.html 
- the leprosy pages of the Ministério da Saúde MISAU de Moçambique (Ministry of Health of Mozambique):
http://www.misau.gov.mz/pt/programas_de_saude/lepra__1   

The Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça (CISM) or Manhiça Health Research Centre may also be of interest. Please consult the links, where organisations are listed alphabetically: http://www.ilep.org.uk/links/