World Leprosy Day 2022

World Leprosy Day is observed on the last Sunday in January. In 2022, World Leprosy Day is 30 January. The day was chosen by French humanitarian Raoul Follereau in 1953 to coincide with the anniversary of Mahatma Ghandi’s death on 30th January 1948.

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.

World Leprosy Day raises awareness of a disease that many people believe to be extinct. Today it is not just the disease that is forgotten, but the people too.

Everyday nearly 600 more people are diagnosed with and start treatment for leprosy. In 2014, 213 899 people were diagnosed and it is estimated that millions more go undiagnosed.