World Leprosy Day: Quotes, Wishes, Messages, Images, Date, and More

Introduction of World Leprosy Day

Do you know that many curable diseases are promoted as non-curable and life-threatening because of the social stigma in the world? One such disease is leprosy. Leprosy is an infection that is wrongly reflected in society due to the visible symptoms. Symptoms of untreated patients such as skin rashes, deformed limbs created an illusion that leprosy causes disabilities in the majority population. However, the truth is leprosy is a common infection that goes unnoticed due to the uncertain incubation period. It can be treated, and patients can be non-leprosy individuals. Let us share more knowledge about the same and world leprosy day. World leprosy day is a day announced to remove the society inflicted false beliefs about leprosy. 

History of World Leprosy Day

French humanitarian Raoul Follereau chased the government for recognition of leprosy in 1954 which led to a declaration of last Sunday of every January as world leprosy day.

In 1873, scientist Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen discovered the causative bacteria for leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae. The infection is also called Hansen disease for the scientist’s discovery of bacteria.

World Leprosy Day 2023 Date

• When is World Leprosy Day 2023?

World Leprosy Day for the year 2023 is celebrated/observed on Sunday, 29 January.

• World Leprosy Day dates for the years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027

World Leprosy Day Quotes

• I took up leprosy work not to help anyone, but to overcome that fear in my life. That it worked out good for others was a by-product. But the fact is I did it to overcome fear.
• Joy is more infectious than leprosy
• Hansen's disease" - that's the other modern name, I guess, for leprosy - "Hansen's disease was so rare in the America that in 40 years only 900 people were afflicted. Suddenly, in the past three years, America has more than 7,000 cases of leprosy - Lou Dobbs
• I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.
• I repeat that the poor, the sufferers from leprosy, the rejected, the alcoholics, whom we serve, are beautiful people. Many of them have wonderful personalities. The experience which we have by serving them, we must pass on to people who have not had that wonderful experience. - Mother Teresa
• When nations are to perish in their sins, 'tis in the Church the leprosy begins,
• I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus. - Mother Teresa
• A Venezuelan dictator once decided to stop leprosy. He saw that most lepers in his country were also beggars. By the simple expedient of collecting and destroying all the beggars in Venezuela, an end was put to leprosy in that country. - L. Ron Hubbard
• I took up leprosy work not to help anyone, but to overcome that fear in my life. That it worked out well for others was a by-product. But the fact is I did it to overcome fear. - Baba Amte

World Leprosy Day Wishes

• Even the smallest of the step against leprosy can be of great value….. Happy World Leprosy Eradication Day.
• I dream of a world which is free from leprosy and other such diseases on the special occasion of World Leprosy Eradication Day.
• I wish for a happier and healthier world free from leprosy on the occasion of World Leprosy Eradication Day.
• Leprosy is surely a challenge for the mankind and together we can face it with greater strength…. Happy World Leprosy Eradication Day.
• Together we have the power to fight the toughest challenges, together we can eradicate leprosy…. Happy World Leprosy Eradication Day.
• Warm wishes on World Leprosy Day to you. May one day we are able to put an end to this disease that has taken so many lives.
• Let us promise to completely eradicate this disease from the face of the planet as we celebrate World Leprosy Eradication Day.
• Let us make celebrations of World Leprosy Eradication Day more meaningful for everyone… Let us fight against this monster by joining hands.
• On the occasion of World Leprosy Day, we must join our hands to fight against this disease that is a threat to humans.
• Never hate the person suffering from leprosy but hate this disease….. Wishing a Happy World Leprosy Eradication Day to you.
• Wishing a very Happy World Leprosy Day to everyone. Leprosy is something we need to fight with together to make this world a healthier place to live.
• It takes constant efforts against the disease to completely eradicate it…. Let us work harder to have a world free from leprosy.

World Leprosy Day Messages

• On the occasion of World Leprosy Day, we must join our hands to fight against this disease that is a threat to humans.
• I dream of a world which is free from leprosy and other such diseases on the special occasion of World Leprosy Eradication Day.
• Warm wishes on World Leprosy Day to you. May one day we are able to put an end to this disease that has taken so many lives.
• Wishing a very Happy World Leprosy Day to everyone. Leprosy is something we need to fight with together to make this world a healthier place to live.

Significance of World Leprosy Day

Follow up of declaration of the Hansen disease day followed by Raoul Follereau, philanthropist and writer, led to the welfare of society.

The day aims to share knowledge about causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Leprosy. Let us begin by knowing more about the disease.

Leprosy: Leprosy is an infection caused by mycobacterium leprae. This disease affects the skin, nerves, eyes and nasal region.

Types of Leprosy

Depending on the severity and transmission, below are the types of leprosy classified.

• Tuberculoid: This can be considered as an initial stage of leprosy. The skin and nerve underneath are mildly affected and the chances of spreading it are negligible.
• Lepromatous: The infection is clearly visible in this type as it causes bumps, rashes to the skin, numbness in nerves and affected areas. There is a moderate risk for transmission from the infected individuals.
• Borderline: This is a combination of Tuberculoid and Lepromatous leprosy. This kind can lead to permanent nerve damage and cause disability if untreated. Most of the transmission is due to Borderline leprosy.  

Causes of Leprosy

Leprosy is spread by accidental contact with the droplets containing the bacteria when an infected person sneezes or coughs. However, the good part is leprosy does not spread through casual and sexual contact; it is not spread by hugging, shaking hands, sitting close to the infected person, sexual intercourse.

An exception to infection is that prolonged contact with an infected person can be a trigger for infection.

Also, individuals with existing diseases such as HIV, diabetes are susceptible to infection due to weak immunity.

Symptoms of Leprosy

As the bacteria mainly affects skin and nerves. Symptoms such as redness of skin, numbness, shortening of affected areas are seen in infected people.

Also, in some cases, it might take a few years for the appearance of symptoms which makes it difficult to diagnose during the initial stage for the doctors. Such periods are called incubation periods.

Diagnosis of Leprosy

The medical practitioner will examine the skin and check for other signs to confirm the results. The healthcare professional will suggest a skin biopsy to confirm the infection. The biopsy involves taking a piece of skin or nerve from the forearm and will be sent for examination.

lepromin skin test will be performed to identify the type of leprosy and help the doctor to prescribe disease-specific treatment.

Treatment of Leprosy

Dapsone was initially used to treat leprosy. However, the bacteria developed resistance. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced Multidrug Therapy (MTD) to kill bacteria in 1981. The MDT includes antibiotics; dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine.

The antibiotics fight the bacteria and free the patient from further damage but do not reverse the existing effects such as nerve damage and disfiguration of body parts.

Prevention of Leprosy

Immunotherapy and chemotherapy are in place to prevent disabilities as a result of borderline leprosy. 

BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guerin), LepVax, Mycobacterium w vaccines are known to prevent leprosy transmission.

The above therapies can prevent worse effects. Therefore it is best to diagnose and treat leprosy on the onset of symptoms.

Special Programme for Leprosy

The National Leprosy Eradication Programme(NLEP) is a special programme launched in India which covers the below for eradication of leprosy related issues.

1. Case detection and Management by trained professionals
2. Disability Prevention and health rehabilitation
3. Information, education and communication (IEC)
4. Behaviour change communication (BCC)
5. Human resource and capacity building
6. Programme management

Apart from the NLEP, many countries have introduced various programs for the welfare of the society. 

When is World Leprosy Day Celebrated?

World leprosy day is observed on the last Sunday of January every year to promote awareness campaigns in the world. In India, it is celebrated on 30 January of every year, which is also the death anniversary of the father of the Nation.

World Leprosy Day Theme for 2022

The theme chosen for world leprosy day for 2022 is “Unity for dignity”. Zeroleprosy organization, an organization for the promotion of awareness about leprosy and welfare of affected individuals’ states that the theme aims to let the leprosy patients live a discrimination-free life and provide assurance about a better future.

The day’s objective is to encourage recovered individuals to share their stories with the patients and provide strength and confidence to deal with the infection in a non-panic way.  

How is World Leprosy Day Celebrated?

As the day aims to promote awareness about leprosy it also includes the objective to remove the discrimination caused by social stigma to enhance the lifestyle of affected patients. Awareness is carried out through social media posts, campaigns, fundraising programmes and welfare events all over the globe.

Interesting Facts about Leprosy

1. The incubation period can be long enough to take 20 years or more to reflect symptoms of the disease. 
2. The infection takes the help of air and infects others when they inhale contaminated air released through sneeze and cough of leprosy patients. 
3. An untreated patient is at risk of developing permanent damages such as blindness, shortened limbs and neural breakdowns. 
4. 2019 statistics of WHO state that an approximate of two lakh new cases were registered in WHO regions. 
5. The highest new cases registered were from India, Brazil and Indonesia as per the 2019 statistics. 
6. The United States has a record that states that armadillos have transmitted the disease to humans. The rate of transmission is low. However, it is best to limit interaction with these animals to prevent leprosy. 
7. Timely intake of prescribed medications has been known to transform a patient into a non-infectious person. The usual prescription is between six months to two years. 
8. The majority of the world population is immune to leprosy. 
9. Paralysis is one of the worse effects of neglected leprosy. 
10. The other name for Tuberculoid is Paucibacillary leprosy.  
11. Lepromatous is also known as Multibacillary leprosy.

We hope our article has been informative and you imbibe the important points to be confident enough to treat leprosy patients with kindness and assist them as a well-wisher. Also, an initiative to promote awareness about the infection effects, treatment and preventive measures in communities, institutions, organizations and rural areas adds to the contribution to society and justifies the criteria of a responsible citizen.