Persons Affected by Leprosy and the COVID-19 Global Health Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted leprosy control and prevention and the lives of persons affected by the disease. In response to this upheaval, the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy (GPZL) established three working groups in April 2020 to address key challenges during the global health crisis and spearhead the leprosy community’s emergency response. The first working group was established to better understand challenges faced by and provide support to National Leprosy Programmes, the second to advocate for the needs of persons affected by leprosy, and the third to prepare the Global Partnership for the post-pandemic global health landscape. The second group’s work to date identifying needs and specific challenges persons affected by leprosy are facing during the pandemic will be explored in this interim report.