A series of walks were held on 29 January with the view to raise awareness of leprosy and to reduce the stigma associated with the disease. 

These were organised and conducted in Moratuwa to commemorate the World Leprosy Day. 

The programme was conducted by the Offices of the Regional Director of Health Services in Colombo and Moratuwa in collaboration with other entities including non-profit organisations and charities.

The programme saw the participation of over 1,000 individuals, including religious leaders of all faiths, representatives of several leading leprosy organisations, schoolchildren, residents in the areas, health sector officials and many others. 

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacteria (Mycobacterium leprae), which affects the skin and the peripheral nerves in the nervous system, causing weakness in the nerve supply. The transmission of leprosy occurs by droplet infection. The disease is transmitted from human to human. 

Leprosy is an easily diagnosable (mainly by clinical criteria) disease, and is treatable and 100% curable. Treatment (done with antibiotics) depends on the severity of the disease. For the mild type and incipient form of the disease, only six months of treatment has to be given while for the more advanced level of the disease where the bacterium load is high, treatment has to be given for one year. Patients no longer remain transmitters of the disease 48 hours following the commencement of treatment because once the treatment has started, the infective nature of the disease will disappear within 48 hours.

A major issue associated with leprosy is the development of disabilities leading to a loss of productivity and social stigmatisation. 

Around 2,000 new patients are being reported every year, islandwide. Sri Lanka has a high percentage of patients with visible deformities at the time of diagnosis, attesting to the fact that it was only after six months since the symptoms had appeared that the patients had presented themselves for diagnosis (late diagnosis). This is indicative of a lack of public awareness in this regard. Children below the age of 15 years with leprosy, attest to the fact that there has been continuous active transmission through undiagnosed patients.