Mysuru: The District Administration, in association with District Health and Family Welfare Department and District Leprosy Eradication Unit, as part of World Leprosy Day, had organised an anti-leprosy awareness rally in city this morning.

World Leprosy Day is observed internationally on Jan. 30 to increase public awareness about leprosy, one of the oldest recorded diseases in the world.

The awareness rally consisting of nursing students of Cauvery Nursing College and officials, was flagged of by Deputy Commissioner (DC) D. Randeep from the District Health Officer’s office in Nazarbad here.

The nursing students, carrying placards with messages such as ‘Leprosy is not a curse but a disease, Join hands to eradicate Leprosy’ etc. marched through Chamundi Vihar Stadium Road, Nazarbad Police Station Circle and Nazarbad Main Road to culminate at the starting point.

Speaking on the occasion, DC Randeep said “though leprosy is curable, many have a wrong assumption that this disease is a curse. But the fact is it is curable through medications” and called upon people to come out of such superstitious beliefs.

District Leprosy Control Officer Dr. Manjuprasad, who also spoke said that during 2017-18, 10 new Paucibacillary (PB) Leprosy cases and 49 new Multibacillary (MB) cases have been detected and added that 11 old PB and 41 old MB Leprosy cases have been cured.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. B. Basavaraju, officials of various Health departments and others were present.