This Report, which was presented to the 128^th Session of the WHO Executive Board in January 2011, represents the global leprosy situation and the outcome of the Meeting of WHO’s Expert Committee on Leprosy, held in Geneva 12^th – 19^th October 2010.

The Expert Committee on Leprosy met for its Eighth Meeting in Geneva 12^th–19^th October 2010 to analyse the global leprosy situation and to review current developments in other areas influencing leprosy, including treatment of leprosy and its various complications.

 

The members of the Expert Committee on Leprosy considered that progress in controlling leprosy could be measured by:

 

(a) number and rate of new cases detected per 100 000 population per year;

 

(b) number and rate of new cases with grade two disability detected per million population per year; and

 

(c) treatment completion and/or cure rate for multibacillary and paucibacillary cases.

 

Countries should aim to reduce by 35% the rate of new leprosy cases diagnosed with grade two disability per million population between 2011 and 2015.

 

Further the Eighth Expert Committee proposed to reduce the number of new cases diagnosed with grade two disability to less than one per million population by 2020.

 

This Expert Committee recommended increased focus on equity, social justice and human rights, stigmatisation and gender issues, and greater contributions of people affected by leprosy in decision-making processes. It also identified research priorities.

The full Report of the Eighth Expert Committee on Leprosy is expected in April 2011.

 

Leprosy: Report by the Secretariat

 

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