Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that China will increase the resources and take more measures to eliminate leprosy or Hansen's disease.

China will continue to cooperate with other countries to further progress and innovation in leprology and contribute to the global elimination of leprosy, said Xi during the opening of the 19th International Leprosy Congress on Sept. 20 in Beijing.

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Xi's welcome message at the congress, which had the theme "Unfinished Business: stopping transmission, preventing disability, promoting inclusion," was read by Vice President Li Yuanchao.

Leprosy control remains a difficult task for the world and requires continued international cooperation, though great headway has been made, said Xi. The event will play a positive role in achieving a leprosy-free world, said Xi.

Hosted by the China Leprosy Association, the congress was attended by more than 1,300 experts and representatives from nearly 100 countries and regions, including China, the United States, India and Brazil.

Leprosy isn't that serious a medical problem in China unlike India that has the world's largest number of lepers. In 2005, China had 1,658 leprosy cases and was ranked tenth in the world in terms of leprosy incidence. But in 2012, the total number of cases fell to 1,206.

In contrast, India had the most cases of leprosy in the world from 2005 to 2012. India had 169,709 leprosy cases in 2005 and 134,752 cases in 2012.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the number of leprosy cases worldwide was about 180,000 in 2012.

In 2013, 14 countries accounted for 95 percent of the globally reported leprosy cases. Of this total, India has the most number of cases (59%), followed by Brazil (14%) and Indonesia (8%).

Leprosy is curable with a treatment known as multidrug therapy. Treatment for paucibacillary leprosy is achieved with dapsone and rifampicin for six months. Treatment for multibacillary leprosy consists of rifampicin, dapsone, and clofazimine for 12 months. These treatments are provided free of charge by WHO.

TagsXi Jinping, china, Leprosy, Hansen's disease, 19th International Leprosy Congress, Li Yuanchao, China Leprosy Association