From January to June 2025, NLR Nepal made significant progress in the Global Leprosy Mapping (GLM) Project, one of the most innovative initiatives in Nepal’s national leprosy program. The project now covers 237 municipalities across 31 districts in Koshi, Madhesh, Sudurpaschim, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces, with 11,844 leprosy cases digitally reported using Kobo Toolbox.

A major highlight has been the launch of a scientific dashboard hosted on HEROKU, featuring automated cluster analysis, heat maps, and real-time alerts. This tool provides decision-makers with powerful insights into transmission dynamics and helps target interventions more efficiently. Integration of SDR-PEP tracking into the system has further strengthened the link between case detection and preventive action.

Despite challenges such as partial coverage in Madhesh and connectivity limitations, progress has been reinforced through multiple levels of training (MTOT, TOT, and field coaching), ensuring health workers are equipped to manage case-based data and use geospatial tools effectively.

The GLM project continues to serve as a model of innovation in digital surveillance, bringing Nepal closer to its goal of interrupting leprosy transmission and achieving Zero Health Inequality from Disease, Zero Disability & Barriers, and Zero Discrimination & Exclusion.

NLR Nepal is continuing the 24-month follow-up of the PEP++ study, a groundbreaking international trial being implemented in Nepal, India, Brazil, and Bangladesh. The project is testing an enhanced preventive regimen to stop the transmission of leprosy in highly endemic areas.

As of this phase, 23,961 contacts have been screened out of 23,842 medicated contacts. Through these follow-up activities, 20 new leprosy cases have been detected—highlighting both the importance of active surveillance and the value of preventive chemoprophylaxis in interrupting transmission.

The activities have so far reached 25 municipalities across 42 targeted areas in Dhanusha, Mahottari, and Sarlahi districts of Madhesh Province. Local governments, health workers, and community volunteers have been closely engaged, ensuring strong ownership and effective implementation at the grassroots level.

This follow-up is a crucial step in evaluating the long-term effectiveness of the PEP++ regimen compared to standard SDR-PEP, and it provides vital evidence for Nepal’s progress toward Zero Health Inequality from Disease, Zero Disability & Barriers, and Zero Discrimination & Exclusion.