Leprosy: a reduction of 35% of the disability rate in 2015

Leprosy is still considered as a shameful disease, especially as many in society consider leprous people as dangerous and exclude them. Madagascar, like other countries in the world celebrates the 59th anniversary of the “World Day of Leprous People.” Thus, for this year, the national celebration will take place at Blessed Mary Assunta Highschool in Fenoarivo. The Public health department chose the slogan “stop the disabilities caused by leprosy”.

Indeed during the year 2011, a high proportion of disability in patients was noticed. The target set by the World Health Organization is to reduce by 35 % the rate of disability among new cases until 2015. For Madagascar, to achieve this global objective, the reduction of new leprosy cases from 1.65 to 1.07 among 100 000 population is expected to be reached. For this year’s celebration, the awareness campaign about the disease will be enhanced and it has already begun from January 18 to 23, during which 500 students of the same high school as well as the CEG Fenoarivo have benefited from the awareness-raising sessions.