A five-day campaign to rid Nepal of leprosy by the year 2003 will be launched along 17 districts bordering India from October 1, a Health Ministry announcement said.

A national co-ordination committee headed by Health Minister Sharad Singh Bhandary held a strategy session to plan operations Monday. Around 3.4 in every 10,000 persons in Nepal suffer from the curable disease; Nepal’s population is 23.4 million.

Altogether 4638 primary health workers and 15,257 women volunteers have been mobilized for the campaign. A similar campaign was launched covering 27 districts along the border three years ago.