Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle leprosy in (a) Africa and (b) Bangladesh.

DFID supports the Livelihoods and Food Security in Leprosy-Affected Communities programme in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, through the Leprosy Mission England and Wales. The programme seeks to improve the livelihoods and food security of thousands of people living below the poverty line, with a particular focus on people affected by leprosy, other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and disabilities. DFID also supports Reaching the Unreached: A participatory approach empowering women to prevent disability as a result of leprosy and lymphatic filariasis programme in rural Bangladesh, through LEPRA.

At a global level DFID funds the WHO to achieve progress towards their WHO 2020 targets on leprosy. DFID is also helping countries so that they are better able to detect and treat all causes of ill health, including leprosy.