Jakarta, July 10 -- The Indonesian government is stepping up efforts to identify an estimated 37,000 undiagnosed leprosy cases to enable early treatment and accelerate the country's leprosy elimination target.

"We aim to increase the detection rate from the current 14,000 to 37,000. The estimate is 37,000, if we only detect 14,000, the rest will still be infectious," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Friday.

To encourage case detection, his office will reward community health centers (Puskesmas) with the highest number of identified leprosy cases during this year's National Health Day in November.

The first, second, and third winners will receive Rp100 million (US$5,379), Rp75 million (US$4,034), and Rp50 million (US$2,689), ...