MARKET STRUCTURE · COMPETITIVE · CHILE
WHO verifies Chile has eliminated leprosy
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WHO and PAHO officially verified Chile as having eliminated leprosy disease, making it the first country in the Americas to receive this verification.
Why it matters
Chile’s last locally acquired leprosy case was detected in 1993, and it has not reported any locally acquired case for more than 30 years. Leprosy has remained a notifiable condition, monitored through mandatory reporting, integrated surveillance, and continuous clinical readiness across the health system. At Chile’s request, PAHO and WHO convened an independent expert panel in 2025 to assess whether elimination had been achieved and could be sustained over time. The panel reviewed epidemiological data, surveillance mechanisms, case management protocols, and sustainability plans, and confirmed the absence of local transmission and Chile’s capacity to detect and respond to future cases among the non-autochthonous population. Between 2012 and 2023, Chile reported 47 cases nationwide, none of which were locally acquired.
Implications
- • Leprosy case reporting remains mandatory within Chile’s public health surveillance system.
- • Clinical protocols and response capacity remain in place for detected cases among non-locally acquired infections.
Who is affected
- • Public health surveillance authorities
- • Infectious-disease clinicians and case management teams
- • Health ministry disease-control leadership
Source
Topics
Health & Medicine Public Health Healthcare Systems Diseases & Treatments