India may have officially eliminated leprosy in 2005. However, the battle against the disease is far from over. A spike in the number of new infections has furthered alarm that the disease may be showing signs of a resurgence in India. 90,709 cases of leprosy were recorded in the 2017-18 period, statistics suggest. This is […]
elimination
Supreme Court seeks answers on treatment of leprosy patients
The Supreme Court is seeking answers from the Centre about the treatment of leprosy patients and India’s progress against the disease. The SC, responding to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy (VCLP), has directed the Centre to enact a central law barring discrimination against leprosy patients. It is […]
Disease elimination and the dangers of resurgence
Eliminating a disease is undoubtedly a positive achievement, typically signalling that a country is one step closer towards ridding itself of said disease entirely. However, this news brings with it the dangers of policymakers and populations becoming complacent – allowing for a potential resurgence. The qualification for the classification of elimination is a reduction of […]