An activist who dedicated his entire life to the cause of leprosy, the late Baba Amte, had rightly said, “Joy is more infectious than leprosy.”
Taking the baton since 1978, ALERT India, an NGO, has worked relentlessly for the same mission, that is to spread happiness to the people by debunking the stigma around leprosy. Its primary focus being on tribal areas, it has impacted more than 70,000 lives, reaching 18 million people and establishing more than 250 Leprosy Referral Centres. It has not just worked to get rid of people’s fear of leprosy, but it has paved a way for the underprivileged patients to live a life of dignity.
Veera M Rao, Director of ALERT India, explains how, in some places of India, people still believe the falsehoods about leprosy. This, in turn, creates fear in the patients, resulting in delaying the treatment and thus making the illness severe. She says, “Many still believe leprosy is hereditary, caused by curses or past sins, and spreads by touch or sharing food. We counter these myths during the Leprosy Elimination Action Programme (LEAP) field visits. Through doorstep counselling, physiotherapy camps and Leprosy Referral Centres (LRC) -based education clinics, we demonstrate that leprosy is curable, not hereditary, and spreads only through prolonged untreated exposure — not casual contact.”
Stigma stems from fear of deformities and outdated notions of “untouchability.” She says, “National Leprosy Elimination Plan (NLEP) data shows 1.88% new cases are still present with Grade-2 disability, indicating late diagnosis. Leprosy Referral Centres (LRCs) in district and sub-district hospitals reduce stigma by offering confidential diagnosis, physiotherapy, footwear, ulcer care, and counselling, restoring confidence and social acceptance.”
The LEAP was formed to eradicate the disease. Rao highlights the key objective of the campaign. She says, “LEAP strengthens NLEP by combining active case detection, Public Health Care (PHC) collaboration, contact tracing, and disability-prevention services. A core LEAP innovation is the creation of LRCs.”
ALERT India, through its years of work in the field, has successfully managed to spread work in rural areas. She says, “We use door-to-door searches, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) mobilisation, Gram Sabha advocacy, and trained community counsellors under LEAP. In Maharashtra’s tribal belts — Palghar, Nandurbar, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Dhule — our teams navigate scattered hamlets and forest villages.”
Success doesn't come easy. Rao sheds light on some of the challenges she has encountered. “Challenges include late health-seeking, shortage of trained leprosy staff, and persistence of stigma. Maharashtra’s Prevalent Rate (PR) (>1/10,000) reflects these systemic gaps. ALERT-INDIA overcomes this by embedding counsellors in villages, conducting early-detection drives through LEAP. And by giving complication management training to PHC doctors in early nerve-function assessment. This reduces disabilities.”
Behind its success lies a hand. The government of India has been aiding the mission by supporting the LEAP campaign. “The Government provides free MDT(Multi-Drug Therapy), funds Leprosy Case Detection /Focused campaigns, and deploys ASHAs —who referred 1.98 million suspects in 2024–25. Nikusth 2.0 app ensures digital case tracking. ALERT-INDIA works fully within this NLEP framework, extending it through LRCs that provide physiotherapy, reconstructive-surgery referrals, footwear, ulcer care, and disability-management services in district and sub-district hospitals,” she says.
You need not have fancy degrees or a lot of money to contribute to the cause. Rao believes spreading the right knowledge about the cause and educating people about the myths of the disease can also play a part. She says, “By rejecting stigma, promoting early check-ups, and ensuring dignity for people affected. The public can support LRC-based rehabilitation which prevent lifelong disability. Schools, panchayats, and workplaces can help by spreading correct information and encouraging people with patches or numbness to seek early evaluation at PHCs or LRCs.”
The charity event ‘Usha Uthup Nite’ in aid of ALERT-INDIA is supported by ESSCO by Jaquar Group, Serum Institute of India — Cyrus Poonawalla Group and Life Insurance Corporation of India. Rao says, “We are extremely grateful to our supporters, because of whom we could organise this event and can raise the much-needed funds for our leprosy control work.”
ALERT India is a hope for many who cannot open up about the leprosy and suffer from the illness silently. It has helped and nurtured leprosy patients so that the world becomes a better place.
"ALERT-India is one of my favourite NGOs, and I have been associated with it for over two decades now. The NGOs' work in detection, treatment, cure and rehabilitation of the leprosy patients is commendable. I am coming down to Mumbai on December 19 to perform in need of ALERT-INDIA. Hope everybody joins me to help this noble cause."
— Usha Uthup, veteran singer
