Compassion required

There are more than 210,000 leprosy patients in China, of which about 100,000 are disabled and 20,000 institutionalized, China Leprosy Association's secretary general Pan Chunzhi says.

Those receiving care live among 617 nursing homes and villages fully funded by local governments. Currently, 245 of these facilities are in impoverished counties.

There have been between 1,600 and 2,000 new cases diagnosed in the country per year over the past decade. Last year, there were 1,745.