NEW DELHI: Despite achieving national leprosy elimination in 2005, states like Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh together account for nearly 50 per cent of India's leprosy burden, a top health ministry official said Friday.
What is needed now is intensified, targeted interventions to interrupt transmission completely, said Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Managing Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
She recalled India's remarkable achievements in reducing the burden of leprosy and in eliminating it as a public health problem at the national level in 2005.
However, she noted that transmission persists in several endemic districts and hotspot areas.
As many as 91,783 new leprosy cases were detected in India during 2025-26, with a prevalence rate of 0.56 per 10,000 population.
Of the newly detected cases, 4.18 per cent were children and 2.12 per cent presented with Grade-2 disability at the time of diagnosis.
Speaking at a two-day regional workshop on review of programme performance and focused strategic action for achieving zero transmission of leprosy, Patnaik said, “While substantial progress has been achieved, the challenge now lies in sustaining gains and accelerating action in the remaining endemic pockets.”
She said that while most states and Union Territories have achieved leprosy elimination status, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Chandigarh are yet to achieve the elimination target at the sub-national level.
Highlighting the epidemiological landscape, Patnaik, at the regional workshop in Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh, said, "The five states have a substantial number of districts reporting prevalence rates above one case per 10,000 population."
As many as 23 districts in Chhattisgarh, 21 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Maharashtra and Odisha, and 10 districts in Madhya Pradesh report high leprosy prevalence rates.
Patnaik emphasised that achieving zero transmission would require stronger inter-state collaboration, evidence-based planning, intensified surveillance, sharing of best practices, and sustained efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.
She urged states to regularly review progress, identify implementation bottlenecks, and undertake corrective measures.
Patnaik, who chaired the meeting, also stressed accountability, timely decision-making, and effective programme implementation.
To realise a leprosy-free India, she underscored the importance of early diagnosis, prompt treatment, and periodic Leprosy Case Detection Campaigns in endemic areas.
The senior health official also called for strengthening contact tracing and expanding 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.
Encouraging states to increase contact screening and PEP coverage, she noted that these interventions are critical for reducing disease transmission and preventing new infections.
She highlighted the importance of capacity building, information, education and communication (IEC) activities, and convergence under the National Health Mission (NHM) framework to strengthen programme implementation.
She further advocated leveraging Community-Based Assessment Checklists (CBAC), the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), and the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) platforms to enhance screening and early detection of leprosy.
The senior official also guided state and district leprosy officers on the effective utilisation of flexi-pool resources available under the NHM and called upon all participating states to maintain momentum towards achieving zero transmission.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr Sunil V. Gitte, Deputy Director General (Leprosy), highlighted ongoing efforts in disability prevention and rehabilitation.
He said that 1,591 reconstructive surgeries had been performed for persons affected by leprosy. In addition, more than 1.03 lakh Micro Cellular Rubber (MCR) footwear and over 1.25 lakh self-care kits had been distributed to support disability prevention and improve quality of life.
He emphasised that active case detection, intensified contact surveillance, post-exposure prophylaxis, timely treatment, disability prevention, rehabilitation services, and community awareness remain critical pillars of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP).
He also presented focused strategies for districts reporting prevalence rates above one per 10,000 population, higher proportions of child cases, and increased Grade-2 Disability among newly detected patients.
During the workshop, participating states presented detailed reviews of programme performance, including trends in new case detection, treatment completion, contact tracing and follow-up, disability prevention and medical rehabilitation services, and IEC initiatives.
States also showcased innovative practices and successful field models that have contributed to improved case detection, enhanced treatment adherence, stronger community engagement, and reduced disability among affected persons.
The workshop concluded with the formulation of state-specific action plans and a renewed commitment from participating states to intensify interventions in high-endemic districts.
At the workshop, officials expressed confidence that coordinated efforts by the government of India, state governments, technical institutions, development partners, and communities would significantly accelerate progress towards achieving the shared vision of a leprosy-free, disability-free, and transmission-free India.
The workshop brought together nearly 200 participants, including state and district leprosy officers, ministry officials, public health experts, representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and representatives from the five high-priority states.