"Leprosy is curable, the real challenge is stigma", the theme for the World Leprosy Day on Sunday, 25th January 2026*. A call to action designed to increase awareness of leprosy, underscore the challenges faced by persons affected by the disease, and motivate coordinated efforts toward its elimination.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium leprae) that predominantly affects the skin and peripheral nerves of humans. Left untreated, the disease may cause progressive and permanent disabilities.
Leprosy care has never been merely a historical phenomenon; it remains profoundly relevant. Leprosy has not become an uncommon disease; rather, health systems have progressively lost the clinical expertise necessary for its timely recognition and diagnosis. This decline has coincided with significant changes in the clinical presentation of leprosy. Patients commonly present with sensory disturbances, while well-demarcated skin lesions have become less common. In such a scenario, misdiagnosis becomes frequent, delays accumulate, and preventable disabilities continue to emerge. The presence of well-trained experts is critical for early recognition and for ensuring diagnostic quality within integrated health systems. Today, the management of leprosy requires professionals who are not only skilled in early recognition but also experienced in disability care.
There is evidence that delays in presentation and diagnosis constitute a major risk factor; therefore, early diagnosis and timely treatment are critical for preventing nerve damage. A major public health challenge within leprosy programmes is the limited access to adequately trained health personnel for correct diagnosis before initiation of treatment. Leprosy can masquerade, mimic, and exist with other skin co-morbidities, making diagnosis difficult for the inexperienced. There is a need for intensified efforts to strengthen the diagnostic skills of health workers in identifying leprosy and ensuring timely referral where indicated.
Health-seeking behaviour is a complicated issue, if not a complex paradigm of social, cultural, historical, and economic variables defining certain mindsets. Limited awareness of general health problems, poor knowledge of leprosy, socioeconomic constraints, inadequate availability and accessibility of health services, and persistent stigmatization remain important barriers to timely health-seeking behaviour.
GLRA India, with a legacy spanning over six decades, is one of the leading organizations having expertise’s in health care and social inclusion and with state of art hospitals providing care for people affected by leprosy across 106 districts in India. Its leprosy services are not delivered in isolation but are aligned with the World Health Organization global strategies and India’s National Leprosy Eradication Programme. In 2025, GLRA India’s clinical interventions delivered life-altering inpatient care to 16,599 patients through its hospitals, with a focus on complex disability management, reconstructive surgery, and physiotherapy services. In addition, outreach activities included active case finding through 143 skin, disability, and school camps, as well as capacity building for 2,397 health workers across all cadres.
Strong coordination and sustained commitment from governments, non-governmental organizations, dermatologists, supporting partners, and other stakeholders constitute a central call to action for this year’s World Leprosy Day.
Geetanjali Kaushik
Head Communication & PR, GLRA India
*In India, Anti-Leprosy Day is celebrated on 30 January, marking the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
Hope rises with every ACT OF KINDNESS
Donations are tax-exempt
under section 80G of the
Income Tax Act, 1961.
Bank Details
Account No: 1345967218
Bank Name: KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK
IFSC Code: KKBK0000469
Branch: Block Q-100, Plot No 3698, 3rd Avenue,
Anna Nagar, Chennai 600040, Tamil Nadu
