The epidemiology of leprosy in Karonga District, northern Malawi 1973–2023: An analysis of leprosy’s distribution, risk factors, control and decline in rural Africa

Karonga District, in northern Malawi, is among the most thoroughly studied areas in the world with respect to leprosy. This report traces the story of leprosy work in the district over the past five decades, describing its contributions to our understanding of the natural history of the disease as well its changing pattern as it declined to very low level. It concludes by comparing these patterns and trends to observations in other leprosy endemic populations.