World Leprosy Day Stigma haunts patients in India
Highlights
- World Leprosy Day is observed on January 30 every year
- This year, the day is being celebrated with the theme ‘United for Dignity’
- There were 1,27,558 new leprosy cases detected globally in 2020
Every year, World Leprosy Day is observed on January 30 to “celebrate people who have experienced leprosy, raise awareness of the disease, and call for an end to leprosy-related stigma and discrimination” that continues to alienate lakhs of people worldwide. This year, the day will be celebrated with the theme ‘United for Dignity’ to “honour the dignity of people who have experienced leprosy,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Rotary Club of Delhi South-DSRSF has been instrumental in creating awareness around leprosy. 25-year-old newlywed Mahadev said his life changed forever after he was diagnosed with leprosy. He was banished from his village, Jalgaon, in Karnataka. But today, 73 years old, is grateful to have the Satya Jeevan Leprosy Colony in Delhi, as a place he can call home. As a part of the Leprosy Control Program, Rotary Club of Delhi South-DSRSF along with its partners, have installed solar panel support in two leprosy colonies, saving families from expenditure on electricity. Since its inception in 2019, the Leprosy Control Project, has benefitted more than 1,600 leprosy patients and their families, trained around 200 healthcare workers, and supported the treatment and rehabilitation of more than 600 leprosy patients in Delhi-NCR.
Life for leprosy patients is challenging physically, mentally and emotionally. Due to stigmas around the disease, they are made outcasts in their own societies and are often left to fend for themselves. While a cure exists for the disease itself, society is still in need of a cure against such harsh discrimination.
There is a lot of misinformation regarding leprosy, particularly with respect to its perceived incurability, which results in the exclusion of patients from society, making their plight even more deplorable. It is of immense importance that the right information reaches the public," Pradeep Bahri, CEO Rotary Club Alliance for Leprosy Control said. Leprosy is curable and awareness will help end ostracisation of such patients. The government of India aims to eliminate leprosy from India by 2030.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. The disease is curable with multidrug therapy. Leprosy is likely transmitted via droplets, from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contact with untreated cases. Untreated, leprosy can cause progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, and eyes. There were 1,27,558 new leprosy cases detected globally in 2020, according to official figures from 139 countries from the 6 WHO Regions. This includes 8,629 children below 15 years. The new case detection rate among child population was recorded at 4.4 per million child population. The COVID 19 pandemic has disrupted programme implementation and a reduction in new case detection by 37% in 2020 compared with 2019.
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