Telegram : @iasdelhi Leprosy in India Gajanan/Adesh
Context:
• Although declared to be eliminated in 2005, Leprosy cases spurted in India
recently.
Facts:
• India achieved elimination of leprosy at the national level in 2005.
• India accounts for 60% of all new cases in the world reported annually,
with over 1.3 lakh new cases in the year 2016-17, according to the
National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP). This means that one
person is diagnosed with leprosy roughly every four minutes in India.
• India has more than three million people with deformities caused by
leprosy.
• Contrary to popular belief, the disease is not severely contagious—it is
transmitted through the air if there is prolonged contact or via nasal
droplets of an infected person.
• Stoppage of active surveillance after the elimination announcement has
led to severe under-reporting of cases.
• With attention and funds shifting to other diseases such as polio and HIV,
leprosy remained largely ignored. Last year ₹42 crore was allocated for
the NLEP, even though the number of new cases is nearing 1.35 lakh, and
approximately 7-8 lakh are hidden cases. The number of new HIV cases is
approximately 88,000 and the hidden cases would be close to 20-25,000.
The funds allocated to HIV is more than ₹2,000 crore.
• There are 114 discriminatory laws against people with leprosy that still
exists in India.
• Leprosy is predominantly found in SCs and STs.
GAJANAN 1
Telegram : @iasdelhi Leprosy in India Gajanan/Adesh
• Top five states with Leprosy cases recorded as on March 2017 are
1. Uttar Pradesh
2. Bihar
3. Maharashtra
4. West Bengal
5. Chhattisgarh
Present status/Programs
• Supreme Court directed states and the central government to roll out
awareness programmes about leprosy. The court said campaigns should
not use frightening images of leprosy affected people but utilise positive
images and stories of those who had been cured.
• Government passed law removing leprosy as ground for divorce.
• National Leprosy Eradication Program is ongoing to deal with Leprosy.
Suggestions:
• Ayushman Bharat can play significant role to eradicate Leprosy.
GAJANAN 2
Telegram : @iasdelhi Leprosy in India Gajanan/Adesh
• Experts say that BCG vaccination could help combat the disease in a big
way. Offering BCG vaccination to all infants in endemic areas of leprosy
would be ideal.
• Meticulous and aggressive DOTS therapy should be implemented.
Tracking of migrants is crucial.
• Removing some insanitary habits which help in the transmission of the
disease, like indiscriminately spitting and blowing nose in the public
places, wherever these habits exist.
• Experience from other countries like Japan, Norway, and other European
countries which eradicated Leprosy shows emphasis on the importance
of good nutrition and improvement of social welfare and living
conditions. Nutrition enhances immunity. Poshan Abhiyan can play
significant role in eradicating Leprosy.
• All parts of the patient’s body need to be examined, in good light, but
most places where patients are examined are poorly lit leading to slippage
of detection especially at PHCs.
• For effective Leprosy control and rehabilitation, accurate, timely and
essential information system is required. Information from private
doctors and hospitals treating leprosy cases is not forth-coming easily.
• Leprosy is often believed to be 'divine punishment for past sins’. Mass
awareness program, especially in tribal pockets, slums, is needed on lines
of anti-tobacco movement with corporate, private institutions and NGOs
putting their commitment behind eradicating the disease.
• Male staff often shy away from asking women, especially in villages, to
take off their clothes for examination. Many women refuse to do so. This
means small diseased patches, of which even the patient is unaware, go
undetected. ASHA workers should be trained.
GAJANAN 3
