By Dr Alfredo Abreu. Biennial Leprosy Workshop23-25 May 2007. Trinidad y Tobago.

The Burden of Neglected Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean Compared with Some Other Communicable Diseases, 2006

In Ecuador, leprosy control can be divided into two stages: before and after multidrug therapy (MDT). Before MDT, the disease was considered incurable and mutilating; patients were kept apart from others and isolated in leper colonies, repelled by both society and medical staff, thus resulting in their being transferred to remote places. After MDT, the panorama changed.

Leprosy Detection Rate, 2005

The endemic countries of the Americas continued to take substantive action that helped keep leprosy on the political agenda, as well as implementing the Global Strategy for Further Reducing the Leprosy Burden and Sustaining Control Activities.

The Global Strategy for Further Reducing the Leprosy Burden and Sustaining Leprosy Control Activities (Plan Period: 2006–2010) has evolved from the WHO Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Leprosy 2000–2005.

The WHO Region of the Americas consists of 35 countries with a total population of approximately 879,617,000 inhabitants as of 2004. In the Region, there are very large countries—such as the United States, Brazil, and Mexico—that represent 66.2% of the total population, as well as very small countries—such as Grenada, Aruba, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and Bermuda, among others— that make up barely 0.06%.

As of 29 March 2005, the Ministry of Health in Viet Nam has confirmed 3 additional cases of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza.