Leprosy attacks keeps up in Andhra, throws up challenge to docs

Vijayawada:

Leprosy

continues to infect people across the state, which was once free from the disease.

With 3,427 cases registered, the prevalence rate is 0.64 per million in 2017-18.

The incubation period of leprosy bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae, can vary from a few months to a few years. It is a stage when the person carrying the bacteria can spread the

infection

without his health being affected by it.

“This long incubation period makes it a tricky infection and eradicating it becomes so difficult,” said Dr P Deeksha, dermatologist and state secretary of Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL).

However, the cases where there is an abnormal presentation of the disease are increasing and this is also posing as a challenge to the

doctors

. “The number of

patients

with no visible patches and yet have nerve damage are found to be on the rise. Between five to 10 percent of the leprosy patients belong to this category and only visit the skin specialists at a very late stage where the damage is severe,” she said. Late diagnosis gives more scope for the patients to spread the infection unknowingly. The abnormal presentation of the disease, also called the neural leprosy, could be a result of the immunity levels of the person, though no specific cause has been identified yet. It was declared in 2005 that leprosy had been eliminated from the state but the reality is different.

“Eradication is possible when no case of leprosy is recorded in the state. However, it is still prevalent across all districts of the state. The withdrawal of the leprosy eradication programme can be seen as a major factor for this situation,” said Dr Karuna Murthy, state president, Indian Public Health Association (IPHA).

“Earlier there used to be more effective government programmes to detect and treat leprosy affected people at the grass root levels. However, once the disease has been declared as ‘eliminated’ in the state, the government has become negligent and we see many cases cropping up. If this continues, there can be an increase in the number of cases soon,” Dr Murthy added.

The doctors and public health experts call for more awareness programmes, continuous and effective early detection programmes, especially in the rural areas where awareness level is less.