India’s Approach to Combat Leprosy Transmission

News: The Indian government has adopted a targeted approach to contain leprosy transmission in five states—Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Odisha where the disease has the highest prevalence.

About National Strategic Plan (NSP) & Roadmap for Leprosy (2023-27)

• It was launched on January 30, 2023, to achieve zero leprosy transmission by 2027, ahead of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) timeline.
• The NSP includes:
  • Year-wise targets and implementation strategies.
  • Public health interventions for awareness and stigma reduction.
  • Promotion of early case detection and prophylaxis (post-exposure preventive treatment).
  • Nikusth 2.0: A web-based information portal for case reporting.

About Targeted Strategy for Containment

• India aims to curb leprosy transmission through a targeted approach in five states and 124 districts.
• The five states with the highest prevalence are Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
• The initiative comes after achieving leprosy elimination as a public health problem at the national level in 2005 (less than 1 case per 10,000 population).
• The government has also approved a three-drug regimen for Pauci-Bacillary (PB) cases, replacing the previous two-drug regimen.
• The treatment duration remains six months, aimed at stopping transmission at the subnational level by 2027.

About  Leprosy

• Caused by: Mycobacterium leprae.
• Mode of Transmission: Airborne droplets from close and frequent contact with untreated cases.
• Symptoms:
  • Pale or reddish skin patches with loss of sensation.
  • Enlarged peripheral nerves leading to muscle weakness.
  • Microscopic detection of bacilli in skin smears.
• Types of Leprosy:
  • Pauci-Bacillary (PB) cases (fewer bacteria).
  • Multibacillary (MB) cases (more severe, higher bacterial load).

WHO’s Support and Global Efforts

• The World Health Organization (WHO) supports India’s National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP).
• WHO provides free Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) for leprosy treatment.
• Leprosy elimination (prevalence less than 1 per 10,000 population) was achieved globally by 2000 and in most countries by 2010. However, new cases continue to emerge.