Out of the 2,13,899 new leprosy cases in 2014, 81 per cent were from India, Brazil and Indonesia, the WHO noted on Wednesday as it launched a global strategy aimed at making the 'world free of leprosy by 2022'.
"The new global strategy is guided by the principles of initiating action, ensuring accountability and promoting inclusivity. These principles must be embedded in all aspects of leprosy control efforts.
"A strategy can only be as good as its implementation," Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, said at the launch of the global strategy for 'Accelerating Towards a leprosy-free-world' here.
"The strategy aims to, by 2020, reduce to zero the number of children diagnosed with leprosy and related physical deformities, reduce the rate of newly diagnosed leprosy patients with visible deformities to less than one per million.
"...And ensure that all legislations that allow for discrimination on the basis of leprosy is overturned," the global health body said in a statement.
The WHO said out of the 2,13,899 new leprosy cases in 2014, 94 per cent were reported from 13 countries -- Bangladesh, Brazil, Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri lanka and Tanzania.
"India, Brazil and Indonesia account for 81 per cent of the newly diagnosed and reported cases globally," the WHO said.
It said several key interventions needed to achieve the target of detecting cases early before visible disabilities occur, with a special focus on children as a way to reduce disabilities and reduce transmission.
Interventions should also target detection among higher risk groups through campaigns in highly endemic areas or communities and improving health care coverage and access for marginalised population, it said. The WHO has called for screening all close contacts of leprosy affected persons, promoting a shorter and uniform treatment regime and incorporating specific interventions against stigma and discrimination as strategic interventions to be included in the national plans to wipe out the crippling disease.