Delhi govt set to declare leprosy a notifiable disease

Delhi government plans to notify leprosy under the Epidemic Diseases Act to enhance surveillance, early detection, and treatment compliance.

NewDelhi: The Delhi government is set to notify leprosy under the Delhi Epidemic Diseases Act, in order to strengthen surveillance, ensure early detection and improve treatment compliance across the national capital, officials said on Friday.

Officials said the proposal is now submitted for further approval with the LG office (HT)

Officials said the Delhi health department has cleared the proposal to notify the disease under the Delhi Epidemic Diseases Act, and the proposal is now submitted for further approval with the LG office.

A notifiable disease, by law, must be reported to public health authorities when diagnosed or suspected, enabling real-time surveillance, rapid response and data-driven interventions.

Once approved, the notification will mandate all government and private healthcare providers, including clinics, hospitals, and individual practitioners, to report every new leprosy case to the District Leprosy Officer. Subsequently, it will enable effective surveillance, targeted interventions, early diagnosis, and prompt treatment with standard Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT), which is available free of cost in government facilities, the health department said.

“Leprosy is completely curable. Making it a notifiable disease will help us find hidden cases, stop transmission, and ensure every patient gets standard treatment with dignity. This is a critical step to work towards a leprosy-free Delhi and supporting India’s journey toward interruption of transmission by 2030,” said health minister Pankaj Kumar Singh.

Other states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and West Bengal have already made leprosy notifiable.

Despite India achieving leprosy elimination as a public health problem at the national level in 2005 (prevalence rate below 1 per 10,000 population), the country still accounts for approximately 59% of global annual new leprosy cases. A recent pan-India study found that 44.1% of leprosy patients are managed by private health facilities and go unreported to the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP).