Leprosy: Jordan becomes first country to eliminate disease

The World Health Organization has officially verified Jordan as the first country in the world to have eliminated leprosy.1

Also known as Hansen’s disease, leprosy still occurs in more than 120 countries, with more than 200 000 new cases reported every year, WHO said. Most new cases are reported in Southeast Asia.

Saima Wazed, WHO’s regional director for Southeast Asia, and who heads WHO’s global leprosy programme, congratulated Jordan on the milestone. “The fight against leprosy …