Kenya is in the post-elimination phase for Leprosy, having achieved the WHO elimination target of less than 1 case per 10,000 people in 1989.
Worryingly, these targets seem at risk, with rising detection and reporting rates in recent years primarily from the five Leprosy-endemic counties in Kenya.
Children account for 6.3 per cent of the cases reported in 2020.
Endemic counties in Coast, Western and parts of Nyanza account for more than 60 per cent of the total cases notified in the country, although sporadic cases have also been reported in non-endemic counties.
Multibacillary Leprosy, the infectious and severe form of the disease, accounts for 90 per cent of the cases reported in Kenya.
In 2021, 14.2 per cent of the 109 notified Leprosy patients had disability grade two, suggesting late diagnosis, which can increase risk of transmission and severity of disease.
Out of the 161 cases reported in 2019, 83 per cent were released from treatment, 6 per cent were declared to be lost to follow-up, 2 per cent died, 6 per cent transferred out, and 2 per cent were yet to complete treatment.
