Deaths / year
0
GBD (indicative unless refreshed)
DALYs / year
30,000
GBD
Pathogen
Bacteria
Post-infectious
Lasting sequela
Persistent symptoms
~5-10% grade-2 disability
newly diagnosed
Post-infectious syndrome & persistent symptoms
Whether a post-acute infection syndrome is documented and the literature proportion with persistent symptoms.
Documented post-infectious syndrome
Chronic peripheral neuropathy / grade-2 disability
~5-10% grade-2 disability
persistent symptoms — of newly diagnosed
Summary
Visible (grade-2) disability present in roughly 5-10% of new cases at diagnosis; chronic nerve damage and immune reactions persist after cure.
Timeframe
at/after diagnosis
Evidence strength
moderate
Classification
Lasting sequela
Sources: WHO leprosy guidelines / weekly epidemiological record
Therapeutic agents by stage
Vector control, prevention, acute treatment, and post-infectious care. Only agents with published evidence are shown by default.
Prevention
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact tracing & BCG in high-risk contacts | Prevention | Approved | Reduce transmission in endemic settings | WHO leprosy |
Acute phase
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifampicin | Antibiotic | Approved | MDT backbone | WHO EML / standard of care |
| Dapsone | Antibiotic | Approved | MDT component | WHO EML / standard of care |
| Clofazimine | Antibiotic | Approved | MDT component; anti-inflammatory | WHO EML / standard of care |
| Ofloxacin / minocycline / clarithromycin | Antibiotic | Approved | Single-dose rifapentine-based regimens (investigational simplification) | WHO trials |
Post-infectious phase
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reaction management (prednisolone, thalidomide for ENL) | Immunomodulator | Approved | Type-1 and ENL reactions; neuropathy care | WHO leprosy |
Associated drug targets (Open Targets): LACC1, TNFSF15, RIPK2, SNX20, ADGB, C1orf141
Burden: IHME GBD (indicative seed unless refreshed) · Therapeutics: curated WHO EML / SOC + Open Targets pipeline · Post-infectious data: curated peer-reviewed literature · Ontology: MONDO_0005124 · Updated 2026-07-10. Associations, not a diagnostic test.