The World Leprosy Day will be observed today (Sunday) across the world with a hope to eliminate the tyrant bacterial disease from the globe.
The government and the Leprosy Mission International (TLMI)-Bangladesh will jointly observe the day with the slogan 'joining forces, accelerating leprosy programme.'
The government declared the country leprosy free in 1998 following the World Health Organisation's (WHO) leprosy prevalence rate -- less than one patient per ten thousand people.
"Despite the declaration, many of the areas were still at risk of leprosy including Dhaka and Chittagong cities, Brahmanbaria, Comilla, Bhola, Patuakhali, Bagherhat and eight other districts under Rangpur division," Project Officer, Coordination for Advocacy and Networking Project at TLMI Md Khalequzzaman said.
"The rate of patients has crossed 1 at per ten thousand populations in the mentioned districts where active survey has been done. This is now the post-elimination stage of leprosy, but the rate of new patients is increasing from 2008. "
Jasim Uddin of Borhanuddin Upazila in Bhola district was a rickshaw- puller in Beribadh area near Mohammadpur in Dhaka. He was infected by leprosy in 2009 but the disease was undetected until 2012.
"A leper Md Mustakim, who lives at Geneva Camp in Mohammadpur told me to visit leprosy experts. But I was too late as I had already suffered disability," he said.
He informed the FE that one of his sons has also become disabled and a total seven members of his family were infected by the disease during the period.
When a person is infected by the bacteria 'Mycobacterium leprae', that causes leprosy.
TLMI Bangladesh manager for Dhaka Leprosy Control Project (DLCP) Mr Thomas Sinha said: "Leprosy usually affects the skin and peripheral nerves, in early stages. Leprosy is completely curable. In late stages, bacteria can be killed, but nerves are damaged that causes disability especially of hands, legs, nose, eyes etc".
"Then the challenge is to prevent further damage", he said. He pointed out that patients at first consider it as a skin disease and the problem starts with passage of time and the bacteria starts damaging human limbs.
He also pointed out that among the newly detected patients, the rate of disability was 7 per cent in 2007 which reached 10 per cent in 2012---an alarming data.
Programme Support Coordinator of TLMI Mr Jiptha Bairagee said every upazila has a TB and Leprosy Control Assistant (TLCA), but now nearly 86 upazilas lack the facility.
"And among the existing TLCAs, only 10 per cent have expertise on leprosy", he said. He urged the government for exploring new initiatives to combat leprosy in the country. Mr Matthew Samar Halder, country director, TLMI Bangladesh expressed his opinion that leprosy should be included in the main curriculum of the medical students so that every physician can acquire minimum expertise on the disease.
According to the Directorate General of Health, a total of 3970 leprosy patients were found across the country in 2011 which was more than 4000 in 2012.
The number will be much higher if active survey is done across the country, DGoF officials said.
However, a discussion will be held today (Sunday) at Catholic Bishop Conference of Bangladesh (BCBC) office in the city organised by TLMI Bangladesh in observance of the World Leprosy Day.
