The Government of Jharkhand on March 02, 2026, issued the notification declaring Leprosy as a Notifiable Disease and Mandating Reporting in Jharkhand
The following has been stated namely: -
• Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease and a major public health concern, leading to disability and social stigma if untreated. It is fully curable with multi-drug therapy (MDT), and early diagnosis and complete treatment are essential for control.
• The State aims to achieve leprosy-free status, defined as no child cases for 5 years, followed by zero cases for the next 3 years.
• Mandatory reporting of all detected leprosy cases by healthcare professionals (public and private) is required.
• Reporting ensures benefits such as:
o Access to National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) services
o Care for post-treatment complications/disabilities
o Measures to prevent disease transmission
o Support for drug-resistant leprosy (DRL) management
• All diagnosed cases must be reported to the Chief Civil Surgeon/CMO within 2 weeks of diagnosis.
• All reporting entities must maintain registers and records of cases in the prescribed format.
• Fortnightly reporting (by 5th and 20th of each month) is mandatory for all healthcare institutions, labs, and medical bodies.
• District authorities must compile and submit reports monthly to the State Health Department; online systems will be developed for data management.
• Leprosy is officially declared a Notifiable Disease, applicable to all healthcare institutions, following approval by the State Cabinet.
[Notification No. 21-NHM(HD)-12-03/2025 29(21)]
