World Leprosy Day

World Leprosy Day

Observed on 26 January

WHO/Pan American Health organization
Leprosy patient
© Credits

 

World Leprosy Day 2025

Unite. Act. Eliminate.

 

World Leprosy Day is observed on the last Sunday of January, every year. In 2025, the World Leprosy Day is on 26 January. This international day is an opportunity to celebrate people who have experienced leprosy, raise awareness of the disease, and call for an end to leprosy-related stigma and discrimination.

The theme for World Leprosy Day 2025 is "Unite. Act. Eliminate.". The theme is a call to action aiming to raise awareness of leprosy, highlight the challenges faced by persons affected by leprosy, and inspire collaborative action to eliminate leprosy.

  • Global Commitment ("Unite"): Eliminating leprosy requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders, including governments, healthcare providers, NGOs, communities and individuals.
  • Immediate Action ("Act"): Proactive measures, including public education, early diagnosis, prevention programs, prompt treatment, and empowering persons affected by leprosy, are essential to interrupt transmission and eliminate the disease.
  • A Clear Goal ("Eliminate Leprosy"): Eliminating the disease – the World Health Organizations’ global goal - is achievable with sustained commitment. Current medical interventions and collaborative efforts have brought us closer, but continued investment in diagnostics, innovative treatments, and outreach is essential.

The campaign can also leverage the momentum of World NTD Day to raise awareness of leprosy as a neglected tropical disease and garner additional support.

A video message by WHO Representative to Nepal

Campaign Materials

What are the facts about leprosy? (Nepali language)

How can we eliminate leprosy? (Nepali language)

Fact Sheets

News from Nepal

Global News

Publications

The global smart 
pharmacovigilance strategy

Trust in regulated medical products (medicines, vaccines and other health products) to protect health, is mostly based on a number of principles: the...

Regional workshop Capacity Building in Technology Transfer on Public-Health Oriented Intellectual Property Management and Licensing Models/Practices to Increase Access to Health Technologies

The objectives of 19-21 November 2024 Regional workshop in Kerala, was to encourage South–South technological collaboration that has significant...

Joint external evaluation of the International Health Regulations (2005) core capacities of Qatar: mission report, 19-23 May 2024

The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) team expresses its appreciation to Qatar for volunteering for the JEE and for its commitment to global health security....

Evaluation of WHO contribution in Jordan: Executive summary

The independent evaluation of WHO contribution in Jordan focuses on the results achieved at the country level using the inputs from all three levels of...