WHO goodwill ambassador Yohei Sasakawa says ‘leprosy hasn’t made a comeback in India, proactive measures detecting new cases’  

Yohei Sasakawa.

Leprosy seems to be making a comeback in India as approximately 1.27 lakh new cases were detected in the country in 2017. During his visit to New Delhi for Leprosy Day, which is on January 30, Yohei Sasakawa, the WHO goodwill ambassador for leprosy elimination, said, on Tuesday, detection of new cases is not exactly bad news.

Sasakawa, during an interacting with media, on leprosy making a comeback after the government announced its elimination in 2005, said, “That is not really the truth. The elimination target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was one case per 10,000 people. That target has indeed been achieved in several countries. However, it was just a WHO milestone, of elimination, and not eradication.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced to eradicate leprosy from India by the year 2030 and to achieve this target, proactive measures have been taken as well, which is the reason why new cases are detected.

He said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced to eradicate leprosy from India by the year 2030. In order to achieve that target, there are proactive measures being taken to access all parts of the country for detection of new cases so as to put them under medication for 6–10 months and cure them.”

Sasakawa is also the chairman of the Nippon Foundation in Japan and the recipient of Gandhi Peace Prize 2018 for his role in tackling leprosy.

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