RESUMO
Objective To study leprosy epidemic level and its trends in Yancheng during 1949－ 1999. Methods Materials of 8 997 cases detected and leprosy control in Yancheng City were analyzed. Results Prevalence, incidence and detection rates of each county and city showed the trends which first rose then declined. And the district distribution showed a characteristic of“ high in the south and low in the north, more in the west and less in the east” .At the end of 1999,the mean prevalence of late 5 years was 0.5/100 000 with both detection and incidence rates of 0.08/100 000. Conclusion The leprosy endemicity has been controlled through 50 year control. It illustrates that in the futare the leprosy control must strengthen the health education, carry out classified guidance and improve the case－ finding efficacy.