In the present volume an assessment of the current situation of leprosy global, regional and highly endemic regions is viewed from various angles. India, being a country with the largest number of patients in the world, has been dealt with in detail, devoting a whole section to the Indian scenario. The technical problems, faced by the clinicians, paramedical workers, laboratory technicians and programme managers at the operative level in the field, are discussed in one full section and the solutions and guiding principles are provided by the authorities in the field. An overview of the methodologies adopted in various regions of the world is presented and critically reviewed with the aim of finding the best course out. This presentation, it is hoped, will give the scientists, leprologists and students of medicine in various leprosy endemic world' regions an opportunity to interact with each other. It will also help them in realising the ground realities in their respective regions and in working towards finding an agreement with the following WHO statement: In the history of leprosy control, 1991 marks a turning point between the past and the future - a turning point that calls for a pause to take stock of what has been achieved and what remains to be done.