Hansen’s disease (leprosy) is endemic in more than 100 countries worldwide, with over 200,000 new diagnoses each year and more than 4 million people living with some form of HD-related impairment. The World Health Organization’s ‘Global Leprosy Strategy’ timeline for Hansen’s disease elimination indicates that it will be encountered in clinical practice in endemic countries for at least another decade. Increasing north-to-south migration, global travel and overseas medical work mean that physicians in non-endemic countries will also encounter patients with Hansen’s disease, which can affect people for many years before diagnosis and after treatment. For busy clinicians, it represents a challenge, in terms of disease learning and updating knowledge and skills.