Hundred years ago the bacillary cause of Leprosy was discovered by a Norwegian Scientist Dr. G. Armaurer Hansen. The opprobrium and curse of Leprosy, which for centuries had weighed on its unfortunate victims, had thence forward no longer any justification. Leprosy took its place among other infectious diseases. There remained, however, the problem of finding a specific remedy, and 70 years were to pass before an effective cure became available. From that moment Leprosy became a curable desease, and its dreaded complications can now be prevented provided treatment is begun early.

There are, however, two major difficulties: first, Leprosy still continues to evoke an irrational fear: and second, recent statistics reveal that the number of Leprosy sufferers in the world has reached 11 million. When, however, it is realised that in some districts 10 to 45 percent of the patient have the catagious form of Leprosy (called lepromatous) and that young people in contact with these patients are particularly in danger of contracting the disease, the immensity of the remaining task of controlling leprosy is apparant. In order to overcome the ill-founded prejudice, laws have been promulgated forbidding the segregation and internment of leprosy patients, and at the same time the principle of domicillary treatment (as advocated by the World health Organisation) became generally adopted.

It is now well recognised that the success of leprosy eradication programmes depends to a great extent on the awareness of the general public about the correct concepts of the disease for which effective remedies are available today. According to the Director-general of Health Services. leprosy is still a major health problem with us mainly because of the fact that "enlightenment of the public and even of the medical profession has lagged far behind medical process."

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India