For the first time in the history of the Americas, a nation has received official WHO verification that leprosy has been eliminated as a public health problem. Chile earned that distinction in early 2026 C.E., making it only the second country in the world — after Jordan — to reach this milestone. It is a result built on more than three decades of sustained surveillance, political commitment, and a health system that kept watching even when the disease had effectively disappeared.
At a glance
- Leprosy elimination: Chile has reported zero locally acquired cases since 1993 C.E. — a gap of more than 30 years confirmed by an independent WHO expert panel.
- Hansen disease cases: Between 2012 C.E. and 2023 C.E., Chile reported 47 cases nationwide, all traced to transmission outside the country.
- Neglected tropical diseases: Chile is now the 61st country globally and the sixth in the Americas to have eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease.
How Chile got here
Leprosy first appeared in Chilean records in the late 19th century C.E., concentrated on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The mainland saw only sporadic introductions. By the late 1990s C.E., the last secondary cases on Rapa Nui had been managed and resolved. The last locally acquired case anywhere in Chile was detected in 1993 C.E.
That could have been the end of the story — the disease gone, the machinery wound down. Chile chose a different path. Leprosy remained a notifiable condition. Mandatory reporting stayed in place. Surveillance continued. Clinicians were trained to recognize a disease most of them would never see in a career.
At Chile’s Ministry of Health request, PAHO and WHO convened an independent expert panel in 2025 C.E. to assess whether elimination had been achieved and could be sustained. The panel reviewed epidemiological data, surveillance systems, case management protocols, and long-term sustainability plans. Its conclusion: local transmission had stopped, and Chile had the capacity to detect and respond to any future cases arriving from outside.
A system built to last
Chile’s integrated care model routes suspected cases through primary care centers, with fast referrals to specialized dermatology services for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The system is designed around early intervention, disability prevention, and rehabilitation — including physiotherapy — so that anyone affected receives support through recovery and social reintegration.
Access to multidrug therapy (MDT) has been uninterrupted since 1995 C.E. The Nippon Foundation supported free supply from 1995 C.E. to 2000 C.E.; Novartis has provided MDT free of charge through a direct agreement with WHO since 2000 C.E. That reliable supply, combined with Chile’s national distribution systems, has been essential for curing patients and preventing the nerve damage that untreated leprosy can cause.
Chile’s mixed public-private health system, with strong regulatory oversight, extends these protections to migrants and other vulnerable groups. National legislation guarantees equal access to health care, social protection, and disability services — a legal framework that ensures people affected by leprosy receive care without discrimination.
What the world can take from Chile’s example
“This landmark public health achievement is a powerful testament to what leadership, science, and solidarity can accomplish,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Chile’s elimination of leprosy sends a clear message to the world: with sustained commitment, inclusive health services, integrated public health strategies, early detection and universal access to care, we can consign ancient diseases to history.”
PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa pointed to a wider implication. Diseases strongly linked to poverty and social vulnerability can be broken from that cycle. Chile’s achievement, he said, “sends a powerful message to the Region — that diseases strongly linked to groups living in vulnerable conditions can be eliminated, contributing to interrupt the vicious circle between disease and poverty.”
Chile’s Health Minister, Ximena Aguilera, framed the milestone as both a source of national pride and a continuing obligation. “This milestone reflects decades of sustained public health efforts,” she said, “including prevention strategies, early diagnosis, effective treatment, continuous follow-up, and the commitment of health teams across the country. It also reaffirms our responsibility to maintain active surveillance and ensure respectful, stigma-free care for all.”
Chile’s experience aligns with WHO’s Towards Zero Leprosy strategy and PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative, which aims to eliminate leprosy and related conditions across the Americas by 2030 C.E. Five other countries in the region — Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico — have also eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease.
The road ahead
Verification is not a finish line. The independent panel recommended that Chile formally designate a referral center for leprosy cases, retain clinical expertise for sporadic imported cases, and use WHO Academy online training to keep health workers prepared. Chile is also encouraged to continue reporting to WHO as it enters the post-elimination phase.
Leprosy, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, remains active in more than 120 countries, with more than 200,000 new cases reported annually worldwide. It is fully curable with multidrug therapy when caught early. The global burden falls heavily on impoverished communities in tropical regions — and many cases still go undetected until permanent nerve damage has already occurred. Chile’s story shows what sustained attention can achieve, but it also highlights how much work remains in the countries where leprosy has not yet been brought under control.
Read more
For more on this story, see: World Health Organization
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Alzheimer’s risk cut in half by drug in landmark prevention trial
- Marie-Louise Eta becomes the first female head coach in men’s top-flight European football
- The Good News for Humankind archive on Chile
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