Frontline health workers trained on early leprosy detection and care

Nepalgunj, Lumbini province – On 18–20 June 2026, the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Ministry of Health and Food Safety, and WHO Country Office for Nepal, with support from Sasakawa Health Foundation, conducted a three-day training on leprosy for basic health service staff in Nepalgunj, Banke. The training brought together 25 participants, including auxiliary nurse midwives, auxiliary health workers, health assistants and municipal health section chiefs from 13 districts reporting leprosy cases across Sudurpashchim, Karnali and Lumbini provinces. The programme equipped the participants with knowledge and tools to ensure early and accurate diagnosis, classification, treatment and case management of leprosy, while enhancing continuity of care through effective multidrug therapy (MDT) administration, disability prevention and self-care, timely referral for management of leprosy reactions, and standardized recording and reporting in line with national guidelines and HMIS tools. By improving frontline health workers’ competencies, the training supports Nepal’s National Leprosy Strategic plan and contributes to the implementation of the Global Leprosy Strategy 2021–2030 and the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases Road Map 2021–2030, advancing efforts towards the elimination of leprosy in Nepal as an interruption of transmission at the sub-national level.