Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – World Leprosy Day 2026 spotlights persistent stigma surrounding leprosy, despite decades of medical progress and declining global cases.
In a message released by the World Health Organisation ahead of the January 25 observance, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination Yohei Sasakawa reflects on 25 years of advocacy and engagement with affected communities worldwide.
“Over the past quarter-century, I have travelled to over 100 countries, listening to the voices of those affected by the disease,” Sasakawa says, reaffirming his commitment to “a world without leprosy”.
Global cases fall dramatically following the introduction of WHO-recommended multidrug therapy in 1981. Reported infections declined from more than five million in the mid-1980s to 172,717 cases across 133 countries in 2024.
However, WHO data show ongoing transmission and delayed diagnosis. Children under 15 account for 5.4 percent of cases, while 5.3 percent present with grade-2 disabilities, indicating late detection.
Sasakawa warns that stigma remains a deeper wound than the disease itself. “One of the most stubborn challenges I encounter is the social stigma attached to leprosy,” he says, noting that survivors often face exclusion, forced divorce, loss of education and unfair dismissal, even after cure.
He stresses that success must be measured not only by falling numbers but by dignity and inclusion. Calling leprosy a disease of inequality, Sasakawa urges renewed global commitment to human rights, arguing that the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved while discrimination persists.
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