I recently met Ankitkumar, an 8-year-old schoolboy from Bihar, India, who 3 years ago developed discoloration on his skin, which was mildly anesthetic. Little known to the medical staff who initially treated him, these were the first symptoms of leprosy.

Given that India has a population of over a billion, momentum needs to be kept up to ensure that greater numbers of people are properly screened for the disease.

The WHO’s latest leprosy update reports that leprosy cases are at their highest since 2007. However, the report overlooks the stories of children like Ankitkumar who are misdiagnosed. It’s believed that at least 3 million people are living with undiagnosed leprosy worldwide, often because symptoms aren’t recognized or out of a fear of leprosy, due to the stigma this disease carries.

Lepra’s active case-finding program in Bihar State, which screens communities and households in rural and tribal areas for people living with undiagnosed leprosy, found and treated Ankitkumar. The search for active cases, carried out over a 6-month period, uncovered 3 times more cases than the Indian government in the same area over the course of a year.

Read the full article on leprosy by Geoff Prescott at Global Health NOW