Access to treatment for leprosy is essential to global efforts to eliminate leprosy, says the World Health Organization (WHO) ahead of World Leprosy Day, to be observed on 25 January.
Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae, and is one of the oldest diseases known to humanity. The disease predominantly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Left untreated, the disease may cause progressive and permanent disabilities and causes stigma and social isolation. However, the disease can be cured with multidrug therapy (MDT).
Efforts to eliminate leprosy have been leading to reductions in the number of new cases in many areas; of the 188 countries, areas or territories that submitted data in 2024, 55 reported zero cases. But still 172 717 new cases were detected worldwide and reported to WHO in the same year.
Many partners, including pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, have been strong supporters of efforts to eliminate leprosy. WHO has collaborated with Novartis since 2000 to provide MDT and clofazimine, free of cost, to all leprosy patients worldwide. This partnership remains one of the most sustained pharmaceutical donation programmes in global health.
Marking 25 years of partnership, WHO and Novartis have extended a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an additional 5 years (2026−2030). The extension makes provision for continued supply of MDT and also includes funding for procurement and distribution of single dose rifampicin (SDR) for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
“The unwavering commitment of partners like Novartis over the past quarter-century has been foundational to the progress made against leprosy,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care. “Their steadfast support in ensuring free access to treatment has helped transform millions of lives and moved us closer to a world free from this ancient disease. This enduring collaboration exemplifies the power of global solidarity in health – a reminder that, together, we can overcome even the oldest and most entrenched health challenges when science, equity, and partnership align.”
Availability of free MDT has made it possible to cure the disease, prevent disabilities, mitigate stigma, and has enabled affected individuals to continue working and leading normal lives. Additionally, clofazimine has ensured the treatment of lepra reactions, which are characterized by sudden, severe inflammatory episodes, leading to disabilities, if left untreated.
“Leprosy is one of the oldest infectious diseases known to humanity and combatting it has been part of our company’s history since discovering the first effective cure,” said Dr Lutz Hegemann, President of Global Health at Novartis. “Over the last 25 years, we have reached millions of patients together with WHO, and we are committed to going further to pursue our vision of a world free of leprosy.”
While significant progress has been made, sustaining and building on this momentum requires political commitment, community engagement and continued collaboration and partnership.
The theme for this year’s World Leprosy Day is “Leprosy is curable, the real challenge is stigma”.
This year also marks the 25th anniversary of Mr Yohei Sasakawa’s work as the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. He said, “One of the most stubborn challenges that I encounter on my travels is the social stigma attached to leprosy, which can be more problematic than the disease itself, and which can persist beyond the end of treatment. This is particularly true for people who have been left with residual disabilities as a result of leprosy. They may face various forms of discrimination, including forced divorce, lost educational opportunities and unfair dismissal. Even after being cured, they endure the unending pain of social exclusion.”
As leprosy is one of the target diseases under the broader umbrella of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), this work also supports the unified global effort towards a world free of NTDs. Learn more about the collective action and join our campaign on World NTD Day 2026 on 30 January.
The NTD Roadmap 2021-2030 aims at elimination of leprosy (interruption of transmission). The Global Leprosy Strategy 2021–2030 underpinning the Roadmap, shifts the paradigm beyond the achievement of ‘elimination of leprosy as a public health problem’ toward interruption of transmission and elimination of leprosy disease. Contact screening along with scale-up of preventive chemotherapy and mitigation of stigma and discrimination constitute key pillars of this strategy. Beyond working to ensure that every person affected by leprosy is detected early and treated promptly, WHO leads efforts to combat the discrimination that persons affected by leprosy too often face.
Today, the conflict in Sudan reaches its 1000th day, with over 20 million people requiring health assistance and 21 million desperately needing food.
Nearly three years of continuous violence, severe access constraints, and reduced funding have turned Sudan into the worst humanitarian crisis globally. An estimated 33.7 million people will need humanitarian aid this year.
The health system has been severely damaged by ongoing fighting, increasingly deadly attacks on health care, mass displacement, lack of essential medical supplies, and shortages of health personnel and funding. Despite sustained efforts by WHO and partners to restore and revive health services across the country, more than one third of health facilities (37%) remain non-functional, depriving millions of people of essential and lifesaving health services.
Since the start of the conflict in April 2023, WHO has verified 201 attacks on health care, resulting in 1858 deaths and 490 injuries. These attacks, which violate international humanitarian law, undermine access to lifesaving care and put health care workers, patients and caregivers at grave risk.
“One thousand days of conflict in Sudan have driven the health system to the brink of collapse. Under the strain of disease, hunger and a lack of access to basic services, people face a devastating situation,” said WHO Representative in Sudan, Dr Shible Sahbani. “WHO is doing what we can, where we can, and we know we are saving lives and rebuilding the health system. Despite the challenges, we are also working on recovery of the health system.”
The level of displacement is unprecedented. An estimated 13.6 million people are currently displaced, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world. Fueled by poor living conditions, overcrowding in displacement sites, disrupted health and water, sanitation and hygiene services, and a breakdown of routine immunization, disease outbreaks are spreading, compounding the crisis. WHO is currently supporting the response to outbreaks of cholera, dengue, malaria, and measles, with cholera being reported from all 18 states, dengue from 14 states, and malaria from 16 states. Access to preventive and curative care, including for the management of chronic conditions and severe malnutrition, remains limited.
WHO works with Sudan’s Federal and State Ministries of Health and partners to improve access to critical health services across Sudan and rehabilitate the health system. Since the start of the conflict in April 2023, WHO has delivered 3378 metric tons of medicines and medical supplies worth about US$ 40 million, including diagnostic supplies, treatments for malnutrition, and diseases such as cholera, malaria, dengue, and emergency surgery, to 48 health partners for lifesaving operations. About 24 million people have received cholera vaccinations, and WHO has supported the country to introduce and scale up malaria vaccines. Additionally, more than 3.3 million people have accessed health care at WHO-supported hospitals, primary health care facilities, and temporary mobile clinics. More than 112 400 children with severe acute malnutrition with medical complications have received treatment at functional stabilization centres, all of which receive lifesaving WHO nutrition supplies. State and National public health laboratories have been equipped and strengthened to confirm disease outbreaks and enable a rapid response.
“As the relentless conflict renders some areas inaccessible, particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, the population’s health needs continue to increase,” Dr Sahbani said. “To meet these mounting needs and prevent the crisis from spiraling out of hand, WHO and humanitarian partners require safe and unimpeded access to all areas of Sudan, and increased financial resources.”
Ultimately, WHO calls parties to the conflict to urgently work towards a ceasefire and peace for the people of Sudan.