WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says the number of leprosy cases in the Americas, including the Caribbean and Latin America has declined significantly over the last decade.

The number of new leprosy cases fell by 36.9 per cent between 2003 and 2013—from 52,435 to 33,084.

It said the proportion of people with leprosy declined 54.2 per cent at the regional level during the same period, from 0.72 to 0.33 cases per 10,000 inhabitants.

Leprosy is present in 24 of 35 countries of the Americas, but according to PAHO, all, with the exception of Brazil, have eliminated the disease as public health problem at the national level.

Eighteen countries have also reached that goal at the subnational level that is, in all their states, departments or provinces, said PAHO, adding that five countries still have states, departments or provinces where the rate exceeds 1 case in 10,000.

“The countries have achieved major reductions in leprosy, but protecting these achievements and advancing even more is a major challenge,” said Marcos Espinal, Director of PAHO’s Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis. “We need to make sure leprosy remains on countries’ public health agendas until it is eliminated.”

With support from PAHO, countries have been implementing a leprosy strategy that seeks to expand access to early diagnosis by integrating leprosy services into primary health care.

The strategy also includes active case-finding to ensure early detection, and cost-free treatment with multidrug therapy (MDT). MDT is donated by Novartis laboratories, through PAHO, to countries’ national leprosy control programs.

Leprosy is a chronic bacterial infection that affects mainly the skin, peripheral nerves, eyes, and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract. Early detection dramatically reduces the risks of deformities and disability in patients.

“To advance even more toward elimination, we also need to eliminate stigma and discrimination, following the principles and guidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council,” said Santiago Nicholls, PAHO’s top expert on leprosy.

“Reducing stigma makes it less likely that patients will avoid seeking medical care,” he said.