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Leprosy on the rise in Sri Lanka
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Old and abandoned: Inmates of Wattala hospital. Pic by M.D. Nissanka
The Government is planning an anti Leprosy campaign to eradicate the illness by the year 2020.
Anti Leprosy Programme Director Dr Priyantha Karunaratne explained the campaign was organised as it has been found the numbers of leprosy patients has been increasing by around 2000 new patients a year.
Dr Karunaratne said that despite the World Health Organisation having declared leprosy was eradicated in Sri Lanka in 1995, the reality was that the number of patients had been reduced from 100,000 cases to 10 cases.
He said the media had failed to highlight the growing numbers of people affected by the illness. Consequently public awareness regarding the illness was negligible. The public are unaware of the growing numbers affected by the disease, which had led to a situation where around 2,000 cases of leprosy being reported annually.
“ We suspect that there are patients hiding in their homes who are not receiving medication”.
Dr Karunaratne added the department had already implemented a programme of educating PHIs and other officials over the past few years.
He said they were now in a position to initiate Anti leprosy programmes so as to educate public viah seminars at schools, as well as visiting areas identified as areas with high numbers of patients.
He described southern areas stretching from Colombo-Koralawella, Moratuwa to Galle as areas having a high density of leprosy patients.
Dr. Karunaratne emphasised that these identified areas needed house-to-house inspection and medication.
He explained that any person who has a suspicious mark in any area of their body should meet a dermatology specialist and check for leprosy .
Leprosy is a bacteria borne deceases which start as a reddish rash or a bump on the skin which increases with nerve damage.
Dr. Karunaratne warned that leprosy was completely curable during its initial stages and added that even in later stages, the illness was curable with six months of treatment. But added that though the illness could be cured, damage to limbs can not be repaired.
He pointed out that in an earlier era leprosy patients were shunned by society due to a social stigma, but with modern-day medicine the illness could be cured.
ELDERLY PATIENTS AREÂ OFTEN ABANDONED  Dr. Jayalath Chandrasiri The Medical Officer In Charge of the Leprosy Hospital at Hendala, Wattala, Dr. Jayalath Chandrasiri said the hospital had only 28 inmates, all of whom were fully cured of their ailment. Unfortunately they are unable to look after themselves due to damage done to their limbs. Hospital staff are planing to use the hospital as an Elders Home where elderly patients will be cared for at no cost. A sort of a hospice. Dr. Chandrasiri said the patents remaining in the hospital were mostly elderly people who were either homeless or were from families that have neglected them. |