about leprosy: statistics
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- 109 countries reported leprosy in 2007
- Nearly 300,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, and many more go undetected. Approximately 11% of these new cases are in children.
- In 9 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America leprosy is still considered a public health problem; these countries account for about 75% of the global disease burden.
- According to the latest available information, intensive efforts are still needed to reach the leprosy elimination target in five countries: Brazil, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Nepal.
- Over the past 20 years, 14 million leprosy patients have been cured.
- Millions of people affected by leprosy worldwide live with permanent physical deformities and/or disabilities as well as debilitating social stigma associated with the disease
"My husband left because of my disease," says Bhodhinan. "He doesn’t give me anything. I go to another village and beg for food to survive."
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