Health Ministry Records 452 Child Leprosy Cases by Mid-2026
The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has reported that leprosy cases in children in Indonesia have reached 452 as of mid-2026. This figure is approaching the total of 487 cases recorded throughout the entirety of 2025.
Director of Communicable Diseases at Kemenkes, Dr. Prima Yosephine, expressed concern over the increasing trend of the disease. She stressed that the government has a strict target to keep child leprosy cases below 5 percent of the total caseload.
“I am worried that by the end of 2026 there will be more cases. The target is for child leprosy cases to be under 5 percent of the total,” Dr. Prima stated at the 2026 National Leprosy Conference in Jakarta on Thursday (9/7).
Despite the rising number of cases in children, the government has successfully reduced the rate of disability caused by leprosy. As of mid-2026, 316 disability cases were recorded, a significant decrease from the 932 cases recorded in 2025.
According to 2024 data from the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 14,698 new leprosy cases found in Indonesia. However, Dr. Prima explained that this figure likely does not reflect the actual conditions on the ground. Experts estimate the real number of leprosy sufferers in the country to be around 37,000.
This year, Kemenkes is targeting the discovery of 20,000 new cases as part of an acceleration strategy for handling the disease. Dr. Prima clarified public perception, stating that the increase in reported cases does not signify a failure in management, but rather progress in the early detection system.
“This is actually progress; we are able to find more cases so they can be treated, and the chain of transmission can be broken,” she said. The government’s main mission is to find as many sufferers as possible so they can receive immediate treatment and not infect others.
The government continues to encourage collaboration between communities and the public to actively report and bring suspected leprosy cases to health facilities to achieve elimination targets in accordance with the latest WHO guidelines.