Perceived stigma of leprosy among community members and health care providers in Lalitpur district of Nepal: A qualitative study.

Leprosy was still perceived to be feared and concealed because of potential discrimination, even within the community that was close to a long established leprosy hospital. Various aspects such as marriage, employment and social interaction were still affected by the stigma which was strongly associated with visible deformities. In addition to ongoing rehabilitation and stigma reduction programs, integrating strategies such as community engagement wherein community and leprosy affected person jointly take a role in stigma reduction programs can be helpful.