In Australia’s more remote regions a few cases of leprosy occur every year (typically one to four) but, because the disease is so rare, doctors find it hard to diagnose. A report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation describes how a group of doctors visited East Timor, where the disease is sadly still common, to improve their diagnostic skills. The doctors are said to have found their visit ‘extremely useful’ and their Timorese colleagues were proud to be able to share their expertise.

The report (text and a podcast) also includes information on the leprosy situation in East Timor, one of three countries worldwide where leprosy has not yet been reduced to a level where it is considered to have been eliminated as a public health problem. (The other countries are Brazil and Nepal.) It is hoped to achieve elimination levels within the next decade.