SHILLONG: In an effort to manage the leprosy cases, the State Health Department launched a Leprosy Case Detection Campaign in two districts namely East Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi, in a programme held at Shillong Civil Hospital on Monday organised by the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), Meghalaya.
According to a report, 16 new leprosy cases were detected during the year 2017-18 as on March 31, 2018 in the state even as leprosy is low endemic with the Prevalence Rate (PR) of less than one case per 10,000 populations.
The epidemiological status cases as on March 31, 2018 – there are 27 numbers of registered cases at the beginning of the year, 5 re-entered or relapse cases of leprosy, 23 cases of cured (release from treatment), 6 numbers of cases deleted after validation / otherwise deleted (migrated to other places etc), 19 numbers of cases that are under treatment.
As per the NLEP, epidemiological situation from 2015-16 to 2017-18 (as on March 31, 2018), the figures fluctuate.
In 2015-16, the number of registered cases in the beginning of the year was 33 which declined to 22 cases in 2016-17 and a marginal increase in 2017-18 to 27 cases.
As for the newly detected cases in 2015-16, the numbers of cases were 33 which was also the same figure for 2016-17 which decline to 16 in 2017-18.
Speaking at the programme, State Leprosy Officer, Margaret Marbaniang urged people to cooperate when trained health teams visit their homes for checking any skin problems, tingling numbness, ulcers on hands and feet.
She informed that in Meghalaya, there are 20-30 leprosy cases annually both new cases and under treatment cases, amongst these there are grade-II cases disabilities, i.e. with visible deformities.
“In order to detect the hidden leprosy cases, the leprosy case detection campaign in line with the pulse polio campaign has been introduced by the Central Leprosy Division,” she said.
The campaign, which is an initiative under the NLEP, will be implemented in East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi.
“The objective of the campaign is the early detection and also creating awareness about leprosy. As part of the campaign, each and every member of the targeted population will be examined by the search teams as per the micro plans prepared for the local area to detect hidden and undetected leprosy cases,” Marbaniang said.
Meghalaya Health Minister A.L. Hek urged the people to be ambassadors of Leprosy Case Detection Campaign in both the districts in an effort to eradicate leprosy.
“All of you are ambassadors of the campaign. If there are any leprosy cases, we should take the responsibility to inform the Health Department,” Hek said.
