Hansen’s Disease in Children

Abstract

With nearly 15,000 new cases of Hansen’s disease (HD-Leprosy) diagnosed in children in 2019 (World Health Organization. Towards zero leprosy. Global leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) strategy 2021–2030, 2021), Hansen’s disease represents an important but preventable cause of disability in children worldwide. As part of their global Hansen’s disease strategy set forth in 2021, the WHO has set a goal of a 90% decrease in new pediatric cases by 2030. Accurate and early detection of Hansen’s disease is important for both quality of life, early treatment can prevent disability and disfigurement. Furthermore, identifying pediatric cases is importantly epidemiologically since it represents detection of active and ongoing community transmission of disease. Detection remains difficult in children and often relies entirely on identification of clinical symptoms, primarily hypoesthetic lesions, as histopathologic identification of skin-slit smears can be difficult to obtain in many endemic areas and are often negative in pediatric forms of the disease. Lesions can easily be mistaken for other common pediatric skin maladies and clinicians must continue to have a high index of suspicion when practicing in endemic areas.