Stigma hinders efforts to combat leprosy in India

Your Health Matters

In this Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014 photo, an Indian man suffering from leprosy helps other leprosy affected woman at a leper colony in New Delhi, India. The stigma of leprosy endures in India, even though the country has made great strides against the disease, which is neither highly contagious nor fatal. Now the number of new annual cases has risen slightly after years of steady decline, and medical experts say the enormous fear surrounding leprosy is hindering efforts to finally eliminate it.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)TAHIRPUR, India (AP) — At first, Ashok Yadav ignored the patches of pink skin on his arm. But when pale sores erupted on his body and he lost sensation in his fingertips, a doctor issued the devastating diagnosis: Yadav had leprosy.

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