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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.
Declining Leprosy Cases in India
Global Leprosy Scenario
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