India’s fight against leprosy — 16 years after being eliminated globally as a public health issue — is far from over. The World Health Organization (WHO) asked South-East Asian countries, including India which accounted for 60% per cent of such cases worldwide in 2015, to focus on preventing disabilities in children. According to WHO, leprosy affected 2,12,000 people globally in 2015. India alone reported 1,27,326 new cases, accounting for 60% of new cases globally. World Leprosy Day is observed on the last Sunday of January since 1954.

Source: The Hindu January 28, 2017 18:36 UTC