The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday recognized and congratulated the Maldives as the first country to have achieved interruption of the transmission of leprosy.
In a post on X, the Health Ministry expressed gratitude for the efforts of all healthcare service workers in the past and present towards achieving the milestone.
Health Minister Ahmed Naseem accepted a plaque presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) to commemorate the occasion.
Efforts to declare the Maldives as a country that has eliminated leprosy began in 2019.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease spread by a bacteria. In the past when there was no special cure for the disease, people with leprosy in the Maldives were isolated and either kept in a separate area of islands or taken to uninhabited islands.
Islands where persons affected by leprosy lived included Male' atoll Vilivaru and Biyaadhoo, and Huvadhoo atoll Hovvadda and Funadhoo.
Diseases such as malaria and filaria were eradicated from the Maldives through the collaboration of the public, healthcare providers and relevant authorities, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said.
