World Leprosy Day is observed internationally every year on the last Sunday of January. The day was chosen by Raoul Follereau, a French humanitarian, to give tribute to the life of Gandhi who was dedicated to helping people with leprosy and also to commemorate the death of Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated on the second last day of January in the year 1948.
This event aims to raise awareness about leprosy which is also known as Hansen’s disease, named after Norwegian physician Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen, who debunked the prevailing notion at the time that leprosy was a hereditary disease. He showed that the disease had a bacterial cause instead. For thousands of years, people with leprosy have been stigmatized and considered to be at the extreme margins of society. It is a highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
The signs of the disease normally arise after an average of five years after a long period of infection as M. Leprae proliferates very slowly. The skin, peripheral nerves, upper respiratory tract mucosa, and eyes are primarily affected by the disease. It also sometimes leads, as stated by the WHO, to clinical depression. This ailment can be healed by early diagnosis and treatment in better conditions.
The only known cause of bacterial transmission is untreated leprosy-affected individuals. From the respiratory tract of the infected person it spreads into the atmosphere, through the respiratory system, it reaches the body of the other person in close contact of the infected person and it then migrates into the nerves and skin.
The Government of India initiated the National Leprosy Prevention Programme in 1955. The program was transformed into the National Leprosy Eradication Program (NLEP) in 1983, following the implementation of Multi Drug Therapy in 1982, with the goal of achieving the country’s eradication of the disease.
On this day, public and educational outreach programs are organized by organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to give people knowledge on how to prevent the spread of the disease. Doctors and other health practitioners spend time explaining to the public about how the symptoms of leprosy should be understood.
Rallies and marathons are also organized by groups to raise funds for research and recovery and rehabilitate those affected by the disease. In addition, conferences and workshops are held around the world to discuss the issues facing patients with leprosy and to find ways to reduce their social stigma.
