On August 20, Mr Jagat Prakash Nadda, Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, announced at a function in Chennai that the government has decided to launch Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP), an exclusive vaccine for leprosy, developed in India, on a pilot basis in five districts of Bihar and Gujarat within a few weeks. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, director general of Indian Council of Medical Research, said MIP has the potential to bring down new cases of leprosy by 60% in three years.