Using Campaigns to De-stigmatize Leprosy in India. Stories from the Field

This article describes the process of demystifying leprosy. It shows how the three important stakeholders (3Ps)—persons with leprosy, persons with concern and providers of health services—forged a strategic alliance that not only helped eradicate leprosy but also deal with the more intractable issue of social stigma attached to the disease. If leprosy is a common ailment today, it is to a large extent due to community participation. The article emphasizes that if health problems are identified and approached through the community, not only are fears and misconceptions of community removed, but the community reinvents itself to bring about desirable changes.