About:
- Nomenclature: It is also known as Hansen's disease (HD), named after the physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen who identified the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae in 1873 as the causative agent of leprosy.
- Type: It is a neglected tropical disease.
- Cause: It is a chronic disease caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae.
- Transmission: Although not highly infectious, leprosy is transmitted via droplets, from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contacts with untreated cases.
- Impact: The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and also the eyes. If untreated then it can cause permanent damage to these areas.
- Cure: Leprosy is curable with multidrug therapy (MDT).
- World Leprosy Day: it is observed internationally on January 30 or its nearest Sunday to increase the public awareness of the Leprosy. This day was chosen in commemoration of the death of Mahatma Gandhi, who worked towards improving the life of people affected with leprosy.
- Indian Scenario: The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the elimination of leprosy as a public-health concern in India in 2005.
- According to WHO norms, leprosy is eliminated if the prevalence of the disease is less than one case per 10,000 populations.
- In 2005, India achieved statistical elimination of leprosy (In 2015-16 the prevalence rate was 0.660). Next step is complete eradication of the disease.
- National leprosy eradication program: it was launched in 1983 by union health ministry with the following objectives
- Detection of leprosy cases through active surveillance
- Regular treatment of cases by providing Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT).
- Launching public awareness campaigns to remove social stigma attached to the disease.
Directions issued by Supreme Court to Centre and states in September 2018 to end discrimination against leprosy-afflicted persons and those living in leprosy colonies:
- Conduct Periodic National Surveys to determine the prevalence rate.
- Formulate a comprehensive community-based rehabilitation scheme which shall cater to all basic needs of the leprosy-afflicted persons and their families.
- Integrate treatment of leprosy into general health care, which will usher in a no-isolation method in general wards and OPD services.
- Give wide publicity to the activities of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP).
- Discontinue using “frightening images” of people afflicted with leprosy in the awareness programmes and instead use “positive images of cured persons sharing their experiences of being cured of leprosy”.
- Ensure that drugs for management of leprosy and its complications are available free of cost and that they do not go out of stock in Primary Health Centres (PHCs).
