On Jan. 30, the date that India observes its national version of World Leprosy Day, the “Global Appeal 2025 to End Stigma and Discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy” was held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. We launched this year’s appeal with the support of the health ministries of 55 countries, as well as nearly 100 persons affected by leprosy in attendance. Odisha is a highly endemic area. I was pleased that for the first time in the Global Appeal’s 20-year history, we were able to launch it from a location on the front line of the fight against the disease.

After the Global Appeal event, I visited Sri Lanka. The country achieved a prevalence rate of less than 1 per 10,000 population at the national level in 1995, but annually around 10% of new cases are child cases, which indicates active disease transmission in the community. Sri Lanka is one of WHO’s 23 global priority countries. 

My five-day visit started in the north, in Jaffna, where I attended the Leprosy People Association’s national conference. Approximately 100 persons affected by leprosy from all over the country reached agreement that they should strongly appeal to the government to eliminate leprosy-related discrimination. I concluded my visit in Colombo, meeting with Sri Lanka’s head of state and other top government leaders. I appreciated their positive feedback on a proposal to hold a national conference on leprosy for all stakeholders before the end of the year.

I am hopeful that this year national-level conferences on leprosy will be held in Nepal and Sri Lanka and a regional-level conference will be held in Africa. I value conferences for their potential to increase motivation and stimulate action. At 86 years old, I know that the fight against leprosy is long. I will continue doing everything I can to encourage progress toward zero leprosy.