The World Health Organization has warned that the battle against the age-old scourge of leprosy is far from over. It says 5,000 new cases are reported yearly in the Western Pacific, where the disease was declared eliminated in 1991. WHO regional director Shin Young-soo says the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Kiribati are three of 37 countries in the region that have failed to meet the target of lowering cases to less than one per 10,000 people — the health body's definition of leprosy elimination. He cited the example of the Philippines, which was declared largely free of leprosy in 1998 yet some 2,000 new cases are still being recorded yearly. He told reporters Monday that China has around the same number of new cases each year. “This is unfinished business and we need to walk that last mile,” Shin said. He called on member countries not to be complacent because of the region's success in meeting the elimination target, to recognize that leprosy still causes much suffering and that more needs to be done to achieve true leprosy elimination. The call was made at the start of a three-day meeting of national leprosy control program managers from the Western Pacific. Leprosy is not a killer and is today easily cured. It affects mainly the skin but if left untreated, can damage nerves.
