Tamil Nadu sets target of eliminating Leprosy at block-level by 2020

This assumes significance as Tamil Nadu has seen an increase in the number of cases recorded in the last five years.  

Stating that new cases are not being brought up, a social worker working for Leprosy patients said that the stigma involved is one of the main factors why the affected people prefer not to come forward. 

P Raman, who founded the Daasya Trust, an organisation that works for helping Leprosy patients, said, “At the National-level, the disease is considered to be eliminated and thus sidelined. But there has been an increase in the number of cases recently.”

He said factors like the stigma attached to it perhaps explains why further cases are not recorded. “Over the course of my work, which involves providing free food for leprosy patients at the Government Hospital in Saidapet, I have noticed an increase in the number of patients there, especially from Villupuram. These patients, as well as persons who have been cured of the disease, are ostracised due to the disease and in many cases, doctors too refrain from treating them,” Raman said.

It may be noted that Tamil Nadu had recorded an increase in prevalence per 1,00,000 in five years with around 5,000 new cases in 2016-17 as compared to 3,550 new cases in 2012-13, according to the annual National Leprosy Elimination programme report. 

When contacted, Dr K Kolandaisamy, Director, Department of Public Health (DPH), told DT Next, “There has been an increase in recorded cases, mostly due to the increase in search initiated by the Health department.” 

With the State having intensified its massive search programme, Kolandaisamy said, “We are in the final push. Even though we have achieved elimination at the district-level, we are now striving towards block-level elimination, which we hope to achieve by 2020.”

Stating that they are mobilising a large number of nursing students and volunteers, he added, “We are going to conduct intensive screening in all those blocks that have no cases registered at all. With the help of the intensive active search, we are hoping to identify many more cases. Besides, we are also conducting screening programmes in around 800 schools to identify new cases.”