India reported 3,832 new leprosy cases among children in the 2025-26 period, with 37 of these cases already showing Grade-2 disability (G2D) at diagnosis. This figure is significantly higher than the National Leprosy Eradication Programme's (NLEP) target of 2,000 cases for the year, raising concerns about delayed detection and ongoing transmission.
The latest statistics, drawn from the NLEP's annual report, coincide with India's efforts under the National Strategic Plan for Leprosy 2023-27, which aims to halt transmission at the district level by 2027. a district is considered to have interrupted transmission after reporting zero new indigenous child cases for five consecutive years. However, the current numbers suggest that India is far from achieving this goal.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers new leprosy cases among children under 15 years as an indicator of recent transmission. The presence of G2D among these cases signals delayed diagnosis. Despite the NLEP's objective of zero disability among new child cases, the continued detection of children with G2D raises questions about the effectiveness of current strategies.
In 2025-26, India detected a total of 91,783 new leprosy cases, with a prevalence rate of 0.56 per 10,000 population. Among these, 1,945 patients had G2D at diagnosis, accounting for 2.12% of all newly detected cases. The national G2D rate stood at 1.34 per million, exceeding the NLEP's target of less than one case per million.
Globally, India reported the highest number of new leprosy cases in 2025, followed by Brazil with 22,901 cases and Indonesia with 16,292 cases. Together, these three countries accounted for 78.3% of all new cases worldwide. The WHO's 2025 global update also highlighted India as having the highest number of new child leprosy cases, with 3,832 reported.
Dr. Kabir Sardana, Professor and Head of Dermatology at ABVIMS-Dr. RML Hospital in Delhi, attributed the ongoing burden of leprosy in India partly to gaps in case detection. He noted that poor detection efforts are leading to more children being diagnosed with the disease. The Health Ministry has identified high-endemic and hard-to-reach areas as priorities for intensified case detection.
The NLEP emphasizes active case detection, household contact surveys, and focused campaigns, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. Despite these efforts, stigma and discrimination remain significant barriers to effective leprosy control. The WHO notes that prolonged, close contact with untreated cases allows transmission to continue, and the disease's long incubation period complicates efforts to interrupt transmission.
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a chronic bacterial infection primarily affecting the skin and peripheral nerves. It is curable with multidrug therapy, a combination of antibiotics provided free through public health programs. However, the presence of new child cases indicates ongoing transmission within communities, even though a single case cannot determine when or where the infection occurred.
India's child leprosy caseload has decreased significantly from a decade ago, but the decline has been inconsistent. In 2014-15, the country detected 11,365 children with leprosy, a number that fluctuated over the years, reaching 3,832 in 2025-26. Changes in reported case numbers reflect the intensity and reach of case detection efforts, making it challenging to interpret trends as direct measures of transmission alone.
The Health Ministry has identified high-priority states and districts where the burden of leprosy remains concentrated. Twenty-three districts in Chhattisgarh, 21 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Maharashtra and Odisha, and 10 in Madhya Pradesh have a prevalence rate above one case per 10,000 population. These figures highlight areas with prevalence above the elimination threshold but do not imply that these are the only regions with ongoing transmission.
For a disease that is curable, and for which early detection and treatment can prevent progression to disability, the continued detection of children with leprosy, including some already showing G2D, underscores the gap between program targets and the reality on the ground.
