Trends in new leprosy case detection over 57 years (1952-2008) in Yuxi, Yunnan Province of Southwest China

[[[ Background: ]]] Leprosy control and management in China was maintained via a vertical system. Despite substantial achievements in leprosy control in the past decades, leprosy has not been completely eliminated in several endemic areas of Yunnan Province, China. [[[ Objectives: ]]] To report the epidemiological trends and management of leprosy in Yuxi, Yunnan Province from 1952 to 2008. [[[ Design: ]]] Diagnosis, control, and treatment data for 2223 leprosy cases detected from 1952 to 2008 were analysed. [[[ Results: ]]] Two large-scale house-to-house surveys were launched in 1957-1958 and 1964-1965, and a remarkable number of new cases were identified during these two surveys. The overall prevalence rate of leprosy in the Yuxi region presented a roughly unimodal distribution between 1952 and 2008, with a peak (9.27 per 10000 population) in 1965. This reflects a combination of case detection and duration of treatment. Overall, the age distribution of the patients changed dramatically over the years, and there were only two childhood cases between 1995 and 2008 (both occurring in 1998). Nearly half of the total cases (49.1%) were classified as multibacillary leprosy type. With the introduction and ubiquitous coverage of the WHO multi-drug therapy (MDT) in this area, leprosy elimination was achieved in 1992. In recent years, the majority of cases (> 80%) were detected by passive approaches, and there is an increasing tendency to find multibacillary leprosy patients. [[[ Conclusions: ]]] Our results provide an overall profile of our 57-year effort regarding the leprosy control in the Yuxi region. The trend in detection of new cases in recent years suggested that the transmission of leprosy has stopped in the area or, at least, dramatically declined.