Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people worldwide were diagnosed with leprosy in the last year for which figures are available;  how many of those affected were children; in how many countries the disease was reported; and how many people worldwide are living with disabilities as a result of leprosy.

The WHO reported the detection of 214,783 new cases of leprosy in 2016. In countries for which figures for children were available, a total of 18,230 of those affected were children. 137 countries reported leprosy prevalence for 2016, with 102 countries reporting 1 or more new cases. 13 countries reported 1,000 new cases or more. The number of new cases with grade-2 disabilities, where a person has visible deformities, was 12,819.