Leprosy in China: epidemiological trends between 1949 and 1998

Objective To report the epidemiological trends of leprosy in China from 194 9 to 1998. Method Data for the study were obtained from the computerized database of t he National System of Leprosy Surveillance. Findings A total of 474 774 leprosy patients were detected during this 50-y ear period. Case detection rates per 100 000 population were highest in the 1950s and 1960s, with peaks appearing in 1957-58, 1963-66, 1969-70, and 19 83-84, corresponding to mass surveys or screening surveys carried out in mo st areas or selected areas of the country. While the duration of the diseas e at the time of detection fell over the period, the disability rates, whic h were >50% in the early 1950s, have decreased gradually to 20.8% by 1997-9 8 but are still too high. More than 50% of cases were found through active methods in the periods 1955-58, 1965-66, and 1969-76, but in recent years c ases are mostly detected through dermatological clinics or by voluntary rep orting. The peak prevalences of the 1960s (i.e. >2 per 10 000 population) d ecreased annually from the 1970s onwards. By the end of 1998 the prevalence was 0.05 per 10 000 population. Conclusions This study shows that leprosy was well controlled in China and that the WHO goal of elimination of leprosy as a public health problem has been achieved at the national and subnational levels. However, leprosy is s till unevenly distributed in the country. According to the criterion for le prosy elimination in China - defined as a prevalence of <1 per 100 000 in c ounty or city - there are still more than 10% of counties or cities where t his target has not yet been reached. Special attention must therefore be gi ven to achieve elimination and final eradication of leprosy in China.