If you look at the “2007 trend”of leprosy cases in the table , it does seem that new cases are dropping slowly, but, the number of relapse cases, are increasing. However, with the advent of the DPMR program, we are happy to see that a better awareness is being created. However, we can only hope, that with better nutrition; better education of children & parents; better sanitation practices; less consanguineous marriages; & better economy, leprosy will slowly disappear, in-spite of the fact that, a) the reservoir of infection is still there &, b) the early “diagnostic mechanism” has been stopped & MDT is still not easily available.

Leprosy was an enigma in the rural areas prior to 1977 with a lot of deformity and social stigma, with a high incidence rate of over 22.4 cases per 1000 population.

Leprosy prevalence has dropped dramatically but the incidence per year is still running on a horizontal. A lot of children are still affected, several of them with deformities who need reconstructive surgeries. A good majority of cases are also admitted for severely infected ulcers of the feet and some also requiring amputation.

Thanks to our team of dedicated workers and multi-drug therapists, the prevalence of leprosy has now dropped to less than 0.5 cases per 1000 population. However, a lot still needs to be done since the incidence of new cases is still more or less the same. New deformity cases are lesser in the controlled areas and this is due to early detection and better treatment. Emmaus also provides free food and treatment to all the leprosy and TB patients.