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Updated: May 15, 2026
07:02
Identifying Dysregulated Genes Induced by Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus (KSHV)
Published on: September 14, 2010
Hansen's disease: a vanishing disease?
Sinésio Talhari1, Maria Aparecida de Faria Grossi, Maria Leide W D R de Oliveira
1Departamento de Dermatologia, Universidade Nilton Lins, Manaus, AM, Brasil.
Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
|January 4, 2013
Summary
Multidrug therapy (MDT) significantly reduced Hansen's disease prevalence, but transmission continues. Achieving elimination goals requires sustained control efforts, as incidence remains a challenge.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Multidrug therapy (MDT) has been instrumental in reducing Hansen's disease prevalence globally.
- The World Health Organization set an elimination goal for Hansen's disease by 2000, aiming for less than 1 case per 10,000 inhabitants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the successes and failures of MDT implementation in Hansen's disease endemic countries.
- To analyze the current status of Hansen's disease control and future challenges.
Main Methods:
- Review of MDT implementation, successes, and failures in endemic countries.
- Analysis of global and country-specific Hansen's disease prevalence and incidence data.
Main Results:
- Despite MDT's efficacy in reducing prevalence, transmission of Mycobacterium leprae persists, indicated by unchanged incidence rates.
- Several countries, including Brazil, Nepal, and East Timor, failed to meet the 2000/2005 elimination goals.
- The goal of interrupting transmission by 2020 appears unrealistic based on current trends.
Conclusions:
- Sustained Hansen's disease control activities are crucial for future program development.
- Interruption of transmission and reduction of incidence remain distant goals.
- The impact of HIV/Hansen's disease coinfection on leprosy epidemiology warrants consideration.
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