Picturing health: the burden of leprosy in eastern Indonesia

Leprosy impacts impoverished communities in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), with over 200 000 new cases recorded annually worldwide. This infectious disease is caused by Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis and primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Effective multidrug therapy is available and, with early detection and treatment, leprosy is curable. Yet disease management can be complicated by immune-mediated reactions, which may cause irreversible nerve damage and lead to lifelong disabilities that are associated with stigmatisation and discrimination. Despite progress in the past few decades, the disease burden has stalled, with some countries not meeting WHO goals of interrupting transmission and reducing incidence.