Nagaland records 31 active leprosy cases

Nagaland has 31 active cases of leprosy as of date, according to the National Leprosy Eradication Programme.

Revealing this at the two-day northeastern states regional review meeting-cum-training programme of the national leprosy eradication programme (NLEP) in Kohima on Monday, Nagaland Health and family welfare department’s commissioner and Secretary Y Kikheto Sema said out of these 31 cases, 90 per cent are from Dimapur, adding 80 per cent of these leprosy patients are non-Naga migrant workers.

Sema noted that leprosy is one of the oldest diseases known to man and that despite advances in all spheres of medical science, it continues to be a public health challenge with over two lakh new cases reported every year in more than 120 countries.

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Stating that India plans to be leprosy free by 2027, he said new leprosy cases are declining every year. However, he said the government alone cannot achieve the target and needs the support and coordination of all the stakeholders.

Dr Anil Kumar, the principal adviser of the National Centre for Disease Control, presented the current updated data on leprosy cases around the world.

He expressed concern that 80% of the leprosy cases in the world are in India. However, he exuded confidence that with new initiatives being undertaken, the numbers will drop in the coming years.

Kumar appreciated the hard work of all the workers under the NLEP.

In her welcome address, the chief medical officer (NFSG), of the central leprosy division, Dr Lily Gangmei said the training will cover subjects such as the national strategic plan, Roadmap for Leprosy 2023-27 and Nikusth 2.0.