Vietnam has seen a highly significant decrease in the prevalence rate (PR) of leprosy since the introduction of multi drug therapy (MDT) in 1983. From a PR of 6.78 per 10,000 population in 1983, the figure has declined to 0.04 per 10,000 in 2010. While the case detection rate (CDR) has shown a smaller fall, from 3.74 per 100,000 population in 1983 to 0.41 per 100,000 in 2010. During the same period, the proportion of multibacillary (MB) patients among new cases increased by around 75 percent and the proportion of children among new cases decreased by 55 percent.