World Leprosy Day is celebrated globally on the last Sunday of January every year. In 2022, the World Leprosy Day falls on January 30, 2022. The day is celebrated to raise global awareness of this deadly ancient disease and call attention to the fact that it can be prevented, treated and cured. In India, World Leprosy Day is celebrated every year on 30 January, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s death.
This year theme of World Leprosy Day 2022 is “United for Dignity”.
History of the day:
World Leprosy Day was established in 1954 by French journalist and activist, Raoul Follereau. Follereau created World Leprosy Day with two goals: to advocate for the equal treatment of persons affected by leprosy and to reeducate the public about leprosy by correcting historical misconceptions surrounding the disease.