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India Accounts For Over 50% Of World's New Leprosy Patients In 2020-21: Report
Writer: Snehadri Sarkar
While he is a massive sports fanatic, his interest also lies in mainstream news and nitpicking trending and less talked about everyday issues.
India, 31 Jan 2022 8:32 AM GMT
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Creatives : Snehadri Sarkar
While he is a massive sports fanatic, his interest also lies in mainstream news and nitpicking trending and less talked about everyday issues.
As per WHO, 114,451 new leprosy patients were detected in India during 2019-20, which accounted for almost 80 per cent of the total cases of southeast Asian countries.
Even after India declared itself "leprosy-free" in 2005, the nation is still accounting for almost 60 per cent of the world's new leprosy patients. Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal currently contributes 76 per cent of the recent leprosy cases, according to National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) data.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), 114,451 new leprosy patients were detected in India during 2019-20, which accounted for almost 80 per cent of the total cases of southeast Asian countries.
On the basis of the reports from all the Indian states and UTs in 2020-21, National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) stated that a total of 65,147 new leprosy cases were detected, taking the annual new case detection to 4.56 per 100,000 people as against 1,14,451 cases in 2019-20, reported Business Standard.
As per the same report, nearly 57,672 cases of leprosy are officially on record as of April 1, 2021. A total of 3,753 cases in children were also recorded, which took the child case rate to 5.76 per cent.
Leprosy Cases In India
Leprosy has frequently been declared as one of the most stigmatized illnesses. However, most of the cases can be cured between 6 to 12 months if detected on time. The number of leprosy cases in India has seen a significant decline, according to NLEP.
Since the 2005 declaration of elimination, the majority of the leprosy programs were disassembled, and resources got redirected to more urgent health issues.
Situation After Pandemic
Chief Administrator & Chief Medical Officer of Sivananda Rehabilitation Home, Dr S Ananth Reddy, said: "The announcement in 2005 halted the progress for a while and led to the disease spreading again. The pandemic has only aggravated the situation. There was re-allocation of resources and today, we observe that very few healthcare professionals in the country can perform surgeries on leprosy patients. There is an urgent need to reignite our fight against leprosy."
Furthermore, proficients have also stressed that awareness campaigns deal with stigma and discrimination associated with the disease and encourage those infected to come forward for treatment.
Also Read: Delhi Police Adds Phonetic Keyboard With Hindi Voice-Typing Facility To Enhance Work Efficiency
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