World Leprosy Day 2023

The World Leprosy Day falls on January 29 in 2023. The theme for World Leprosy Day 2023 is "Act Now: End Leprosy". 

World Leprosy Day takes place on the last Sunday of January each year. A total of 150 countries and regions around the world have participated in the event, and World Leprosy Day has become a global event and an opportunity to lift up the voices of people affected by leprosy throughout the world. China has joined the global effort since 1996, which aims to spread the awareness that leprosy elimination is possible.

 

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by leprosy bacilli. More than 95 percent of people have natural immunity to leprosy bacilli. Even if they are infected with leprosy bacilli, the incidence of leprosy is very low.

 

Leprosy mainly invades skin, peripheral nerves and other tissues, and is transmitted through respiratory droplets or contact with skin. The source of leprosy is mainly untreated patients with multi-bacterial leprosy.

 

The clinical manifestations of leprosy are varied. In the early stage, there are mainly light or red patches on the skin that are not painful or itchy. If the disease cannot be detected and treated early, deformity such as lagophthalmos (inability to close one or both eyes completely), facial asymmetry, claw-shaped hands and plantar ulcers may occur as the disease develops.