The Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Initiative Nigeria, LTR, has called for urgent action to end stigma and neglect that continue to undermine efforts to eliminate leprosy in Nigeria, despite the disease being curable.
The organisation made the call on Tuesday to mark World Leprosy Day 2026, warning that discrimination, misinformation and poor investment remain major barriers to early diagnosis, treatment and reintegration of persons affected by the disease.
LTR said although effective treatment for leprosy is available and provided free of charge, stigma continues to force many people to hide their condition, delay seeking care and suffer avoidable complications, including permanent disability.
According to the organisation, Nigeria still reports leprosy cases annually, yet funding for leprosy control, rehabilitation and social reintegration remains critically low, weakening early case detection, contact tracing, disability prevention and community education.
LTR noted that beyond medical treatment, many persons affected by leprosy continue to face lifelong challenges such as discrimination, limited access to social protection, poor housing and exclusion from livelihoods.
The organisation said the condition of leprosy colonies across the country further reflects the dignity gap, describing many of them as dilapidated, overcrowded and lacking basic amenities, a situation it said reinforces stigma rather than promotes rehabilitation.
LTR stressed that cure alone does not guarantee dignity, adding that a health response that ends with treatment but ignores welfare, rehabilitation and reintegration leaves people healed but abandoned.
It said that building on decades of experience inherited from the Netherlands Leprosy Relief legacy, the organisation continues to support leprosy and tuberculosis control in several states through early detection, post-exposure prophylaxis, training of health workers and community volunteers, disability prevention and stigma reduction.
The organisation called on government to increase domestic funding for leprosy control and welfare services, urged donors and development partners to sustain investment, and appealed to the media, community and faith leaders to challenge harmful narratives and promote inclusion.
LTR said ending leprosy is no longer only a medical task but a social and moral responsibility, adding that World Leprosy Day 2026 should mark renewed commitment to ending stigma and restoring dignity to persons affected by the disease.
