Leprosy among migrant workers: ensuring proper treatment

Since 1982 using freely available multiple drug therapy (MDT), over 15 million people have been cured. The World Health Organization in 1991set its goal as ‘the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000. The elimination goal of less than one case per 10 000 population was reached at a global level by the year 2000 and all but a small number of countries had achieved the target by 2005. According to official reports received during 2011 from 130 countries and territories, WHO released the following statistics about leprosy: the global registered prevalence of leprosy at the beginning of 2011 stood at 192,246 cases, while the number of new cases detected during 2010 was 228,474 (excluding the small number of cases in Europe) out of them 8,495 cases registered in Eastern Mediterranean with a prevalence rate of (0·15) and 4,029 new cases detected in 2009 with a detection rate of (0·70). WHO’s Global Leprosy Strategy for 2011–2015 adopted by 44 National Leprosy Programme managers in New Delhi, India in April 2009 focused its attention much more towards reducing the burden of leprosy and ensuring the quality and sustainability of control activities. It highlighted increasing migrant populations as workers and marginal populations living in slums, the diversity of health care providers and lack of coordination among them. The major focus within urban areas however, should be on improving the health services for marginal people living in the slums and migrant workers inside the same country who do not have the same conditions of life as in their native residence. The promotion of human rights and social justice in dealing with people affected by leprosy remains vital in addressing the persistent problems of stigma and discrimination suffered by people affected by leprosy and their families.