WHO urges governments to prioritise leprosy elimination

WHO urges governments to prioritize leprosy elimination, ensure funding, and include affected individuals in decision-making processes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has requested governments to prioritise leprosy elimination and ensure sustained funding for surveillance, treatment, care and support, while calling upon them to include those affected by leprosy in policy and decision-making processes.

Celebrated annually on the last Sunday of January, World Leprosy Day serves to raise awareness about leprosy, a neglected tropical disease, and inspire the global community to unite to eliminate it.

"As we observe World Leprosy Day 2025, we reaffirm our commitment to this year's theme: 'Unite, Act, and Eliminate Leprosy'," Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, said.

"Longstanding stigma around this disease stubbornly persists, and misinformation only adds to the challenge. The social isolation of affected persons and their families perpetuates discrimination and intensifies stigma," she said.

While significant progress has been made in reducing the burden of leprosy since the introduction of the multi-drug therapy (MDT) and the 1991 World Health Assembly resolution, challenges remain, Wazed highlighted.

In 2023, 1,82,815 new cases were reported from more than 100 countries, with 95% of those concentrated in 23 global-priority countries. Alarmingly, more than 5% of the new cases were reported with Grade 2 Disability (visible deformity), highlighting delays in detection.

Wazed said 5.6% of the new cases were among children, with some countries reporting child rates exceeding 30 per cent, indicating ongoing transmission.