Though India was declared “leprosy-free” in 2005, it still accounts for around 60 percent of the world’s new leprosy patients.
According to data of ‘National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand contributed around 76 percent of new leprosy.
World Health Organization data shows that India accounted for 80 percent of the cases in southeast Asian countries.