Objective: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of leprosy in China in 2020 and provide a basis for optimizing leprosy prevention and control strategies.Methods: We collected leprosy data from the Leprosy Management Information System in China, which includes data from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, except for Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and then performed a descriptive analysis of these data.Results: A total of 406 newly detected leprosy cases were reported nationwide in China in 2020, giving an incidence rate of 0.29 per 1,000,000 population. Among the population with leprosy, the proportions of children younger than 15 years, multibacillary cases, and cases with grade 2 disability were 1.2%, 93.3%, and 17.7%, respectively. Southwest China was the region with the largest proportion of new leprosy cases (54.7%). There were 31 relapse leprosy cases reported in 2020. By the end of 2020, there were 1,893 registered leprosy cases reported nationwide, giving a prevalence rate of 1.35 per 1,000,000 population. Conclusion:Leprosy is at a low endemic level in China in terms of the prevalence and incidence rates. However, the geographical distribution of leprosy in China is unbalanced; leprosy is highly endemic in southwest China,

Background Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae infection, mainly affects skin and peripheral nerves and may further lead to disability and deformity if not treated timely. The new case detection rate of leprosy in children reflects the active transmission of leprosy infection. This study aims to present the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of new leprosy cases in children in China from 2011 to 2020. Methodology/Principal findings All data from leprosy patients younger than 15 years old were extracted from the Leprosy Management Information System in China (LEPMIS). Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 was used for descriptive and analytical statistics of the epidemiological and clinical indicators by the Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Fisher’s exact test. And geographical distribution was analyzed by ArcGIS 10.6.1. A total of 152 pediatric new cases of leprosy were found over the last decade. The new case detection rate of pediatric leprosy cases decreased from 0.13 to 0.02 per 1,000,000 population over the last ten years. New pediatric cases had a higher new case detection rate in Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan Provinces. All but 7 provinces in China achieved zero new child case for consecutive five years. The onset of leprosy peaked between 10 and 14 years of age, and the male to female ratio was 1.71:1. Pediatric patients were predominantly infected from symptomatic household adult contacts. Multibacillary leprosy (MB) was the most common. However, a low proportion of patients developed leprosy reaction and grade 2 disability. Conclusions/Significance The new case detection rate of pediatric leprosy cases has decreased over the past ten years in China. Spatial analysis indicated clusters in high-endemic areas. Leprosy transmission has stopped in the majority of provinces in China. However, sporadic cases may continue to exist for a long time. Active surveillance especially contact tracing should be focused on in future plan for management of leprosy, and interventions in leprosy clusters should be prioritized.