January 25 is World Leprosy Day

January 22, 2026

Since 1954, at the initiative of the WHO, World Leprosy Day has been celebrated annually worldwide on the last Sunday of January.

The purpose of World Leprosy Day is to draw the attention of the general public and healthcare professionals to the issue of social protection for leprosy patients, their rehabilitation and readaptation, and assistance to individuals with disabilities and low-income families of patients with leprosy.

In 2020, the World Health Organization Advisory Board adopted the "Global Leprosy (Hansen's Disease) Strategy 2021-2030: Towards Zero Leprosy."

The goal of this document is to achieve zero incidence of leprosy without the disability, stigma, and discrimination associated with this disease.

Based on current epidemiological indicators and the results of ongoing preventive and therapeutic measures, the Republic of Kazakhstan is on track to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem.

In 2023, across the WHO regions (Africa, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific), leprosy reports (including imported cases) were received from 184 countries; of these, 79% of the burden occurred in India, Brazil, and Indonesia.

82 countries reported new cases of I2H (disability group II).

New cases of leprosy diagnosed globally by WHO region in 2023 were 182,815.

New cases of leprosy among children in 2023 were 10,322.

New cases of leprosy with G2D (Grade 2 disability) were 9,729.

WHO Region

Number of newly detected cases

Case detection rate (per million population)

Number of newly detected cases among children

Case detection rate among children (per million child population)

Number of leprosy cases among women

Proportion of women among new leprosy cases (%)

Number of newly detected cases with Grade 2 disability

G2D rate (with Grade 2 disability) per million population

African 21,043 17.2 1,633 2.6 8,138 38.7 3,026 2.5

Americas 24,773 23.7 999 3.4 10,820 43.7 2,374 2.3

Eastern Mediterranean 2,829 3.4 127 0.4 1,187 42.0 223 0.3

European 37 0 1 0 11 29.7 10 -

Southeast Asia 131,425 63 7,310 10.5 51,806 39.4 3,899 1.9

Western Pacific 2,708 1.4 252 0.5 883 32.6 197 0.1

World 182,815 22.7 10,322 3.9 72,845 39.8 9,729 1.2

At the same time, in the European region, which includes Kazakhstan:

On As of early 2026, there were 212 patients and 224 contacts living in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The average age of registered patients is 77 years. It should be noted that the achieved reduction in leprosy incidence in Kazakhstan is sustainable. Over the past 10 years, there has been one new case (2017), and no relapses.

Thus, the overall leprosy situation in Kazakhstan remains relatively favorable.

The Kazakh Republican Leprosarium is the center for treatment and anti-epidemic measures. The leprosarium is located in Kyzylorda and has 50 beds. There are also two outpatient departments in Aralsk and Tasbuget village in Kyzylorda. The leprosarium is a modern medical facility providing qualified, specialized medical care and certain social services to patients with leprosy.

Successful efforts to combat leprosy are impossible without the participation of local health authorities. The leprosy center's operations are based on dispensary methods and established collaboration with dermatovenereological institutions. This has enabled the establishment of ongoing epidemiological surveillance of leprosy and joint preventive screening of the population.

Leprosy is a social disease, so in addition to specific prevention, considerable attention is paid to social prevention. Improving working and living conditions, increasing the material well-being and sanitary standards of the population are key to reducing the incidence of leprosy.

The history of the development of anti-leprosy services fully reflects the vital challenges that healthcare has faced at various times. Kazakhstan's healthcare system has accumulated considerable experience in leprosy prevention and control. Initially, these measures were primarily aimed at identifying and isolating patients. Subsequently, considerable attention was paid to field work, resulting in a steady increase in the number of patients hospitalized and isolated in leprosy centers. Subsequently, chemotherapy became a priority. Currently, another priority is being identified, this time concerning tertiary leprosy prevention—preventing disability and rehabilitating patients.

Today, patients and contacts live in almost all regions of the republic, which poses the risk of spreading the infection. At the same time, Kazakhstan's trade and economic ties with many countries are expanding year after year.

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