NLEP--current situation and strategy during the 11th plan period (2007-2012)

National Leprosy Control Programme was established in 1955 based on dapsone domiciliary treatment. The multidrug therapy came into wide use from 1982. Based on the recommendations of the high power committee established by the Government of India, the NLEP was launched in 1983 with the objective to arrest the disease activity in all the known cases of leprosy. In order to strengthen the process of elimination of the disease in this country, the first World Bank supported project was introduced in 1993. The 2nd phase of the elimination project was started in 2001-02 and ended in December 2004. The prevalence rate of leprosy was found to be 0.95/10,000 population by December 2005, a success in the elimination of leprosy. On 30th September 2006 the rate on record is 0.89/10,000 population, a further decline. During 2005-06 the annual new case detection rate was 14.27 per 100,000 population which was 23.4 during 2004-05, a reduction of 39.0%. During the 11th plan period (April 2007 to March 2012) the government proposes to carry on the leprosy programme with the same intensity further to achieve annual new case detection rate less than 10 cases per 100,000 population.