Delhi’s leprosy campaign to begin in November

Delhi is all set to start a leprosy campaign from November 10. The 14-day programme will have registered doctors and volunteers going door-to-door in the national capital to screen leprosy patients and providing treatment to those affected by the disease. This is the first time a campaign like this has been organised in the city.

"From November 10 we will be surveying Delhi homes to look for patients suffering from leprosy and provide treatment. We have made all the necessary arrangements for this. leprosy is not a dreadful disease and can be cured, but there is a lack of awareness in the people. Delhi sees over 25,000 new cases of leprosy every year, and there is a possibility that the numbers will go up if all come out to report their illness," said Dr KS Bhatia, State Laparoscopy Officer, Delhi Health Services.

Multi-drug therapy (MTD) is a combination of drugs for MB leprosy patients and for PB leprosy patients. MDT is provided free of cost to leprosy patients by the health department. A patient needs to take the drugs anywhere between 24 weeks and 24 months to get completely free of the disease. The records of the patients determined during this campaign will be added to the health department record.

"It is difficult to maintain a record for leprosy patients as at least 30 per cent of the patients provide wrong address out of shame. This leads to missed follow-ups and thus missed dosage," added Dr Bhatia.