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World Leprosy Day: India must ensure economic security for people with leprosy, says WHO goodwill ambassador

January 30, 2021

India needs to take special measures to ensure economic security for people with leprosy as situations like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have jolted the ostracised community, making them rely merely on handouts to survive, WHO goodwill ambassador against the disease Yohei Sasakawa has said.

Like always, people with leprosy have been ignored during these trying times and not many have come forward to check on their well-being, said Sasakawa, who was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2019 for his fight against leprosy, especially in India.

"People affected by leprosy in India and many other countries are often economically vulnerable. Many are increasingly in need after having lost their source of income because of lockdowns or restrictions on movement associated with the spread of Coronavirus. India needs to take special measures to deal with this," Sasakawa told.

Stating that India may have intensified its vigil against leprosy but its efforts to trace cases in the hinterland, particularly people in the mountain areas, are not sufficient, Sasakawa has rhetorically stressed that the government should bring leprosy affected people into the mainstream and get them treated.

"It is important to do more to raise social awareness so that everyone, whether they live in hard to reach areas or are not part of mainstream society, have access to diagnosis and proper treatment," he said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India has the highest number of new cases of leprosy in the world annually, followed by Brazil and Indonesia.

India reported 1,35,485 new cases in 2016, which is 63 % of the 2,14,783 new cases reported globally.

India officially eliminated leprosy, an infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae, in 2005 by bringing the prevalence rate below 1/10,000 at the national level.

However, it has not been able to eradicate the disease despite having it as a national target.