Context: 

Recently, the Ministry of Health Affairs has decided to implement a new treatment regimen for leprosy.

New three-Drug Regimen For Leprosy in India

• The Ministry has decided to introduce a three-drug regimen for Pauci-Bacillary (PB) cases in place of a two-drug regimen for six months.
  • A Drug Regimen is a prescribed systematic form of treatment for a course of drug(s).
• This is aimed at stopping its transmission at the sub-national level by 2027, three years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals.

• WHO’s recommended treatment regimen comprises three drugs — dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine — and the combination is referred to as multi-drug therapy or MDT.
  • WHO has been providing MDT free of cost.

About Leprosy

• About 
  • Causative Agent:  Mycobacterium leprae. 
  • Consequences: The disease predominantly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. 
  • Leprosy is also known as Hansen’s disease.
• Disease Incidence: Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) which still occurs in more than 120 countries, with more than 200 000 new cases reported every year. 
• Transmission: It gets transmitted through droplets from the nose and mouth. 
• Diagnosis: Leprosy cases are classified into two types for treatment purposes: 
  • Paucibacillary (PB) case ( 1 to 5 skin lesions) and Multibacillary (MB) case (more than five skin lesions)
• Treatment: Leprosy is curable through  multi-drug therapy (MDT) using dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine medicines

Current Status of Leprosy in India

• Leprosy Elimination Status:
  • India declared “Leprosy Eliminated” in 2005.
  • Despite this, the country represents over half (52%) of the world’s new leprosy cases.
• Decline in Annual Case Detection Rate:
  • The annual case detection rate witnessed a significant decline.
  • Halved from 8.13 cases per lakh population to 4.56 cases in 2020-21.
  • Stabilized at 5.52 cases per lakh in 2021-22.

Leprosy Eradication Programmes in India 

• National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP)

  • A Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the National Health Mission (NHM).
  • India has successfully achieved the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem at the National level (less than 1 case per 10,000 populations).
  • Vision for District-Level Eradication:
    • NLEP targets the complete elimination of leprosy in each district by the year 2030.

• National Strategic Plan & Roadmap for Leprosy (2023-27)

  • The strategy and roadmap will aid in advancing the campaign against leprosy, to stop transmission, by speeding case detection efforts and maintaining a robust surveillance infrastructure.
  • India has set the target of Leprosy Mukt Bharat by 2027, 3 years ahead of the SDG.

• SLACs (Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaigns)

• • Launched in 2017 to raise awareness regarding leprosy.
  • Focuses on addressing issues related to stigma and discrimination associated with leprosy.

News Source: The Hindu