Intensify efforts to eradicate leprosy: President

Expressing concern over reports of new leprosy cases in the country, President Pranab Mukherjee today exhorted doctors and social workers to intensify their efforts to alleviate the suffering of those afflicted with the disease and erase the social stigma attached to it.
"It is a cause of concern that new cases (of leprosy) continue to occur and high-burden pockets of the disease do exist.
"Chhattisgarh and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli still have a prevalence rate of between two and four (patients) per 10,000 population," Mukherjee said while presenting the International Gandhi Award for Leprosy-2013 to two pioneers from India and China at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

The biennial award was conferred on Dr Vijaykumar Vinayak Dongre and Prof Guocheng Zhang of China for their role in helping the patients of this disease.
While Dongre has long rendered clinical and training services for leprosy patients in Maharashtra, plastic surgeon Zhang has undertaken many missions in China to reduce the stigma attached to the disease.
Meanwhile, talking about his concerns regarding the disease, Mukherjee said, "Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal, which had achieved elimination earlier, have now shown a slight increase in prevalence of leprosy in the current year.
"I understand that 209 high-endemic districts have been identified in 2012-13 which need our focused attention.