**Abstract**

Hansen's disease is one of the most ancient diseases that is still prevalent in the world. The causative agent, Mycobacterium leprae (*M. leprae*) has a long incubation period, clinical features after infection are identified late and these acid fast bacilli cannot be cultured – making leprosy a difficult disease to eradicate. Therefore the prevention and control of disease becomes more important. The shift of treatment from dapsone monotherapy to multidrug therapy regimen has given a new hope. The multidrug therapy coupled with the newer vaccines promise better results to prevent further transmission. Globally and locally the efforts to decrease the burden of leprosy by using different strategies has resulted in elimination of leprosy. But there is still a long way to go to make world free of this dreaded disease.

**Keywords:** leprosy, prevention, vaccine, disability, multidrug therapy, rehabilitation
