World Leprosy Day (January 25 this year) is always marked on the last Sunday of January. The day was chosen by French humanitarian Raoul Follereau as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, who did much work with persons affected by leprosy and died end-January (1948), The Leprosy Mission has recalled. This year’s campaign is themed ‘Leprosy is curable, the real challenge is stigma’, highlighting the fact that leprosy is easily cured with antibiotic treatment, and the lingering need to break the stigma. Each year, 200,000 people are diagnosed with leprosy, besides the millions living with the damaging consequences of delayed leprosy treatment. The occasion is an opportunity to celebrate the lives of those affected, raise awareness on the signs and symptoms of the disease, and tackle the stigma, besides raising money to help end leprosy transmission.
Published on January 12, 2026