Goa to combat stigma, enhance treatment to eradicate leprosy by 2027

Panaji: The state is in the process of preparing a road map to eradicate leprosy. The health department is drawing up a strategic state plan to achieve its target of eradicating the age-old disease by 2027. “We are working along with the central leprosy division and planning the way forward to eradicate the disease,” said Dr Cheryl de Souza, chief medical officer for the National Leprosy Eradication Programme at DHS.

Goa achieved the elimination stage in 2006 and currently falls in the low endemic category with one case per 10,000 population. Fifty-one new cases of the bacterial disease were reported between April and Dec 2024. One among them was a child leprosy case that was detected. There are currently 91 persons on treatment. Comparatively, the previous year, April 2023 to March 2024, recorded 70 new leprosy cases. Two of these were child cases.

Stigma and discrimination associated with the disease continue to prevent people from seeking treatment early on, said de Souza. “Previously, no treatment was available, but today good multi-drug treatment (MDT) is available at every health facility, provided people come forward to receive it and complete the course of treatment,” she said.

There is also a tendency to stop treatment after a few months when a person feels better, but the entire programme must be strictly followed, she said. The disease has a long incubation period—an average of five years, which can even go up to 20 years before the disease presents itself. This depends on the natural immunity of the person.

Some people seek treatment when the disability has already set in, and the health department continues to create awareness and dispel myths about leprosy. As part of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme, the directorate of health services will organise the Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign from Jan 30 to Feb 13.

In case of disability, patients are referred to the department of plastic surgery and burns at GMC for reconstructive surgery.




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