World Leprosy Day

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World Leprosy Day

By Dr Arvind Kumar

The 30th January - the anniversary of Gandhi assassination, also known as Martyrs’ Day, is also observed as World Leprosy Day in India. Gandhi wanted to eradicate leprosy and he nursed leprosy ulcers in the days when leprosy infected people were treated by the highly caste conscious society as untouchables. Leprosy is an age old disease that still exists. The objective of observing this day is to raise awareness of one of the most stigmatizing diseases known to humanity. World Leprosy Day was initiated by Raoul Follereau in 1954 and is celebrated yearly. The reason for observing World Leprosy Day is to make sure that people everywhere know that the disease still exists, there is a simple and effective cure and we can do something about it.

Observance of this day aims to educate people on all aspects of leprosy, including disease control and elimination, rehabilitation and social problems experienced by leprosy affected persons. Proper care and awareness among the people about leprosy has been instrumental in reducing the number of people afflicted with leprosy considerably over the years. In 1950, the number of leprosy patients was 10.5 million which came down to 5.2 million in 1985 and the next decade saw the number of leprosy patients standing at 0.8 million in 1995. In 2010, the number of leprosy patients stood at 0.2 million world wide. This shows that the menace of leprosy has not been eradicated completely. It requires persistent action and vigilance.

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