Leprosy in Children: 2025‑26 Situation
In the reporting year April 2025 – March 2026, India detected 3,832 new leprosy cases among children. This figure is 91.6% higher than the target set by the NLEP (2,000 cases). Among these children, 37 presented with Grade‑2 disability (G2D) at diagnosis, signalling delayed detection.
Key Developments (2025‑26)
- Overall leprosy detection: 91,783 new cases nationwide.
- National prevalence rate: 0.56 per 10,000 population.
- G2D among all new cases: 1,945 patients (2.12%), giving a national G2D rate of 1.34 per million, above the National Strategic Plan for Leprosy 2023‑27 target of <1 per million.
- India remains the world’s largest contributor of new leprosy cases, followed by Brazil and Indonesia (WHO data).
Important Facts
The G2D trend among children shows a persistent problem: 63 cases in 2019‑20, 35 in 2020‑21, 41 in 2021‑22, 55 in 2022‑23, 45 in 2023‑24, and 37 in 2025‑26. The prevalence rate above one per 10,000 persists in 23 districts of Chhattisgarh, 21 of Jharkhand, 18 each of Maharashtra and Odisha, and 10 of Madhya Pradesh.
Historical child caseloads have fluctuated: over 11,000 cases in 2014‑17, a decline to 2,335 in 2023‑24, then a rise to 3,832 in 2025‑26. The variation reflects the intensity of active case detection rather than a pure transmission trend.
Exam Relevance
Leprosy is a multidrug therapy (MDT)‑curable disease. Understanding its epidemiology tests knowledge of public‑health programmes (GS1), disease surveillance indicators (GS1), and the role of international agencies like WHO. The persistence of child cases highlights challenges in health‑system outreach, stigma, and the need for targeted interventions—topics relevant to Governance, Health Policy, and Ethics (GS4).
Way Forward
- Intensify active case detection in high‑endemic districts, especially hard‑to‑reach areas.
- Strengthen household contact surveys to identify asymptomatic carriers and prevent transmission to children.
- Address stigma through community awareness campaigns, ensuring early reporting and treatment.
- Monitor G2D trends as a quality‑check for the health system.
- Align district‑level targets with the National Strategic Plan for Leprosy goal of zero indigenous child cases for five consecutive years.
Achieving the 2027 transmission interruption will require coordinated effort across the Ministry of Health, state governments, and community stakeholders, with a focus on early detection, rapid treatment, and eliminating disability.