The Union Health Ministry on Friday, 12 June called for state-specific roadmaps to achieve a leprosy-free India, with Additional Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Aradhana Patnaik stressing that intensified, targeted interventions are essential to completely interrupt transmission in hotspot areas. The appeal came at a two-day Regional Workshop on Review of Programme Performance and Focused Strategic Action for Achieving Zero Transmission of Leprosy held in Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

India's Progress and Persistent Challenges

Patnaik acknowledged that India achieved elimination of leprosy as a public health problem at the national level in 2005, a landmark milestone. However, she cautioned that transmission continues to persist in several endemic districts and hotspot areas, making sustained and targeted action non-negotiable. According to the official statement, she underlined that the challenge now lies in sustaining hard-won gains and accelerating action in remaining endemic pockets.

Five High-Priority States Account for Half India's Burden

Highlighting the epidemiological landscape, Patnaik informed workshop participants that five high-priority states — Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh — together account for nearly 50 per cent of India's leprosy burden. These states also record a significant number of districts with prevalence rates above 1 case per 10,000 population: 23 districts in Chhattisgarh, 21 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Maharashtra and Odisha, and 10 in Madhya Pradesh.

Key Interventions Recommended

Patnaik emphasised the critical importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment, calling for periodic Leprosy Case Detection Campaigns in endemic areas. She also urged states to strengthen contact tracing and expand the coverage of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) through Single-Dose Rifampicin (SDR) among eligible healthy contacts of index cases, particularly in vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. Increasing contact screening and PEP coverage, she noted, is essential for reducing disease transmission and preventing new infections.

Programme Platforms and NHM Resources

Patnaik advocated leveraging existing health platforms — including Community-Based Assessment Checklists (CBAC), the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), and the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) — to enhance screening and early detection. She also guided State and District Leprosy Officers on the effective utilisation of flexi-pool resources under the National Health Mission (NHM) framework. Capacity building, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities, and convergence under NHM were highlighted as pillars of stronger programme implementation.

Accountability and the Road Ahead

Stressing accountability and timely decision-making, Patnaik urged participating states to regularly review progress, identify implementation bottlenecks, and undertake corrective measures. The workshop signals a renewed federal push to close the gap between national-level elimination and district-level zero transmission — a goal that will require both political will and granular, on-ground execution.