Leprosy hits back India again after 13 years

STRAP: Chronical infection affecting skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes and known to occur at all ages ranging from early infancy to very old age, Leprosy apparently has made a comeback.

TANUSHREE PODDAR: NP NEWS 24 ONLINE- 13 years from now, health officials and activists were delighted and announced that leprosy has been eliminated concerning the public health. But sadly, an alarming situation arose after the Central Leprosy Division of the health department reported that there are 135,485 new leprosy cases detected in India in 2017 which means at every four minutes, someone in India is diagnosed with leprosy.

While announcing the budget speech, finance minister Arun Jaitley assured to eliminate leprosy in 2018. Whereas, activists working for it confirmed it to be an impossible target to accomplish.

The World Health Organisation quoted “Pockets of high endemicity report thousands of new cases every year” in 2016 adding that in 2015, India had accounted for 60% of the global total of new cases. Experts believe that since India received funding from the WHO to tackle leprosy, it was under pressure to show progress. The government speedily announced in 2005 that leprosy was eliminated which implies that incidence is one case per 10,000 (0.01%).

Leprosy is feared as being infectious, leprosy can spread easily. If not detected in time, it spreads through skin and peripheral nerves, damaging the nerves of the hands and feet to render them dead to sensation which naturally leads to disabling injuries.

Most of us do not contract leprosy as our immune system is strong and we have built a resistance to mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes the disease. It is those with weak immunity that fall prey to it.

Among the new cases detected recently, 67,160 cases have been diagnosed at an advance stage. Places such as Delhi, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Odisha, West Bengal and Lakshadweep, which were at the forefront of elimination targets, are now among the worst affected.

8 districts of Kerala, leprosy has been confirmed among 135 people. Among this, 14 were children. The decease impaired physical disabilities to 6 people. Whereby till October, leprosy was detected in 273 people including 21 children.

While the rest of the country is trying to eradicate the stigma around leprosy, Pune Cantonment Board called out all the health activist and openly claimed that leprosy is caused due to ‘eating out’ as well as installed boards at various public spot saying ‘whoever eats out, contacts leprosy’.