{"id":373355,"date":"2026-10-07T19:08:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T13:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=373355"},"modified":"2026-10-07T19:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T13:38:19","slug":"break-the-chain-on-leprosy-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/break-the-chain-on-leprosy-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Break the chain: On leprosy in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: <\/strong>The post \u201cBreak the chain: On leprosy in India\u201d <\/strong>has been created based on “Break the chain: On leprosy in India\u201d<\/strong> published in \u201cThe Hindu<\/strong>\u201d on 7th October 2026.<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus: GS-2-Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Context: <\/strong>India brought the prevalence of leprosy below 1 case per 10,000 population by 2005<\/strong>, after which the WHO declared it eliminated as a public health problem. However, continued transmission, childhood cases and disability show that elimination at the national level has not meant complete interruption of transmission.<\/p>\n

About Leprosy <\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Leprosy is a chronic neuro-muscular disorder.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. It is also known as Hansen\u2019s disease.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. It is caused by several strains of Mycobacterium leprae.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. It primarily affects the skin and peripheral nerves <\/strong>(the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord).<\/li>\n
  5. It has a long incubation period<\/strong> which makes detection difficult.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. It can be cured with Multi-Drug Therapy(MDT).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Present Status<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. The prevalence of leprosy among adults and children and the Grade-2 Disability (G2D) rate have declined<\/strong> over the last decade, but transmission continues in several pockets.<\/li>\n
    2. India accounted for around 46% of all leprosy cases reported among children globally in 2025<\/strong>, making childhood transmission a major concern.<\/li>\n
    3. Only 148 districts<\/strong> have achieved \u2018interruption of transmission\u2019, against the projected 300 districts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    4. The disease burden is unevenly distributed, with Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra<\/strong> accounting for disproportionate shares.<\/li>\n
    5. In 2025\u201326, more than 70 crore people were screened<\/strong> in highly endemic areas. Around 24,367 cases<\/strong> were detected through this exercise, while ASHA workers identified nearly 40 lakh suspected cases<\/strong> and 48,027 cases were confirmed<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    6. Single-dose rifampicin post-exposure prophylaxis<\/strong> was administered to 91.1% of the 16.9 lakh eligible contacts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    7. Despite these efforts, the 2025\u201326 report showed that overall incidence was 41% above projections<\/strong>, childhood incidence was 91.6% above projections<\/strong>, and the G2D rate was 34% above projections<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Reasons for Persistent Transmission<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Complacency after elimination:<\/strong> After WHO recognised India as having eliminated leprosy as a public health problem in 2005, <\/strong>surveillance was integrated into the general health system, weakening focused leprosy surveillance.<\/li>\n
      2. Prevalence masking transmission:<\/strong> Multi-drug treatment shortened the period for which patients remained officially registered. Consequently, prevalence declined even while transmission continued.<\/li>\n
      3. Delayed diagnosis:<\/strong> Stigma surrounding leprosy discourages people from seeking timely medical care, resulting in nerve damage and disability before treatment.<\/li>\n
      4. Misdiagnosis:<\/strong> Many healthcare practitioners are unfamiliar with leprosy pathology and may incorrectly treat it as an ordinary skin condition.<\/li>\n
      5. Persistent stigma:<\/strong> Social stigma contributes to concealment of disease and delays in diagnosis, thereby allowing transmission to continue.<\/li>\n
      6. Geographical concentration:<\/strong> Endemic pockets, particularly in certain States and districts, continue to sustain transmission.<\/li>\n
      7. Inadequate focus on interruption of transmission:<\/strong> A reduction in prevalence alone can give a misleading picture of progress if new infections continue to emerge.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Government Initiatives and Progress<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. Door-to-door screening:<\/strong> Rising disability in the early 2010s prompted intensified household-level screening.<\/li>\n
        2. Post-exposure prophylaxis:<\/strong> Single-dose rifampicin was administered to 91.1% of the 16.9 lakh people<\/strong> identified as likely contacts in 2025\u201326.<\/li>\n
        3. ASHA-based surveillance:<\/strong> ASHA workers identified nearly 40 lakh suspected cases<\/strong>, strengthening community-level detection.<\/li>\n
        4. Digital surveillance:<\/strong> The government has operationalised digital systems for better tracking and surveillance.<\/li>\n
        5. Possible use of MIP vaccine:<\/strong> The government is considering the use of the MIP vaccine<\/strong> to accelerate pathogen clearance in highly infectious patients.<\/li>\n
        6. National Strategic Plan:<\/strong> The National Strategic Plan (NSP) and Roadmap for Leprosy 2023\u20132027<\/strong> appropriately focuses on interrupting transmission, in line with the WHO approach.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n
            \n
          1. Prioritise interruption of transmission:<\/strong> The government should treat interruption of transmission as the primary objective, rather than relying mainly on declining prevalence.<\/li>\n
          2. Strengthen surveillance:<\/strong> Dedicated surveillance should be strengthened in highly endemic districts and vulnerable communities.<\/li>\n
          3. Ensure early diagnosis:<\/strong> Door-to-door screening and active case detection should be intensified in areas where late diagnosis and transmission remain high.<\/li>\n
          4. Focus on children:<\/strong> Since childhood cases indicate recent transmission, children should receive special attention through systematic screening and contact tracing.<\/li>\n
          5. Strengthen contact management:<\/strong> Post-exposure prophylaxis and systematic monitoring of contacts should be expanded to prevent new infections.<\/li>\n
          6. Improve healthcare capacity:<\/strong> Medical practitioners and frontline health workers should be trained to recognise the clinical manifestations of leprosy and distinguish it from common skin conditions.<\/li>\n
          7. Combat stigma:<\/strong> Public awareness campaigns should emphasise that leprosy is curable<\/strong> and that early treatment can prevent disability, thereby encouraging people to seek care.<\/li>\n
          8. Target high-burden areas:<\/strong> Resources should be concentrated in States and social settings where transmission and late diagnosis remain persistent.<\/li>\n
          9. Maintain ambitious targets:<\/strong> The government should not dilute detection efforts or revise elimination targets merely to improve reported indicators. Instead, investments should be increased to meet the existing 2026\u201327 projections<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
          10. Use data-driven surveillance:<\/strong> Digital surveillance should be used to identify transmission hotspots, monitor contacts and assess progress at the district level.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Conclusion: <\/strong>India’s achievement of elimination as a public health problem in 2005 was an important milestone, but it did not mean that transmission had stopped<\/strong>. The reported overshooting of projections in 2025\u201326 \u2014 overall incidence by 41%, childhood incidence by 91.6% and Grade-2 disability by 34%<\/strong> \u2014 shows the need for renewed action. India must therefore \u201cbreak the chain\u201d of transmission through early detection, contact management, stronger surveillance, better clinical capacity and reduction of stigma<\/strong>, with interruption of transmission as the central goal of its leprosy strategy.<\/p>\n

            Question: <\/strong>Despite India achieving elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in 2005, its continued transmission remains a concern. Discuss the reasons for persistent transmission of leprosy in India and suggest measures to achieve the targets under the National Strategic Plan and Roadmap for Leprosy 2023\u20132027.<\/p>\n

            Source: <\/strong>The Hindu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Source: The post \u201cBreak the chain: On leprosy in India\u201d has been created based on “Break the chain: On leprosy in India\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d on 7th October 2026. UPSC Syllabus: GS-2-Governance Context: India brought the prevalence of leprosy below 1 case per 10,000 population by 2005, after which the WHO declared it eliminated… Continue reading Break the chain: On leprosy in India<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[300,212,10498],"class_list":["post-373355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-governance","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373355\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}