 Despite large efforts to eradicate leprosy, this curable mycobacterial infection still affects 250,000 new individuals annually. Half of the globes leprosy patients live in Brazil and India. In 2013, 33,033 new leprosy cases diagnosed in Brazil, with an average incidence of 1.05 cases 10 000 inhabitants. Most new cases occur in economically restricted regions of the world, but because at least 5 of the general population is genetically susceptible to the causative agent, new cases may occur anywhere worldwide. This is especially true in times of high human geographic dislocation. Thus, leprosy should rank among the differential diagnosis list of general practitioners and specialists treating skin and peripheral nerve disorders even in non-endemic areas. 