Leprosy
new cases were reported in Uganda in 2023. One in four already had visible disability that early treatment would have prevented.
A slow disease with a long memory.
Leprosy is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae. It attacks the skin and the peripheral nerves — the nerves in the hands, feet, and face. It spreads slowly. It is not very contagious.
But if left untreated, the damage accumulates. People lose feeling in their hands and feet. Injuries go unnoticed. Fingers curl. Feet drop. In advanced cases, the disability is permanent.
The good news: antibiotics cure leprosy completely. Treatment takes six to twelve months.
Curable. Still disabling.
Uganda reported 342 new leprosy cases in 2023. The real number is almost certainly higher. Many people live far from clinics. Many wait too long — because of distance, stigma, or a health system that no longer has the expertise to recognise the disease.
The burden is heaviest in the West Nile sub-region. Districts bordering South Sudan and the DRC — Arua, Terego, Koboko — see more cases than most of the country. By the time people are diagnosed, the disease has often progressed beyond what antibiotics alone can repair.
What we do
We work alongside Buluba Hospital, The Leprosy Mission Great Britain, St Francis Leprosy's Guild, Uganda's National TB and Leprosy Programme, and the German Leprosy and TB Relief Association. Our role is to bridge the gap between communities and the national elimination strategy.
We plan to map cases in hard-to-reach areas, trace the contacts of known patients, and — in partnership with Buluba Hospital and The Leprosy Mission Great Britain — build a clinical training programme for frontline health workers across West Nile, Lango and Busoga, rebuilding the expertise the health system needs to catch leprosy before it disables.
Leprosy is curable. The disability it leaves behind is not. Early treatment changes everything.
Your support funds contact tracing, protective footwear, clinical training, and the community navigators who find patients before it is too late.