Senior citizens with deformities due to leprosy were screened at a special camp held at the Government Taluk Hospital in Walajah town, Ranipet district on Tuesday.
Health officials said the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine organised the special camp as part of the Anti-Leprosy Week to prevent deformities due to leprosy. “Such camps also help senior persons with over 40% of deformities to apply for government pension. Their health is also tracked,” B. Preetha, Deputy Director (Leprosy), Vellore, told The Hindu.
On an average, 200 leprosy cases are reported every year in the Vellore district (including Ranipet and Tirupattur). As on January 31 this year, 207 patients are under treatment in the district.
One-third of 700 patients in the district are women. Higher prevalence of the disease is found among migrant labourers in the district.
In Ranipet, a nine-member medical team comprising a doctor, a health educator, and four health inspectors screened around 100 senior citizens at the camp held at block-level. The team would also screen other residents, including narikuravas and industrial workers, during the fortnight-long campaign to tackle leprosy.
One of the major reasons for the late detection of leprosy is the long incubation period of the disease, say officials. It takes, on an average, three to five years to detect symptoms of the disease, resulting in damage to the nervous system.
Some of the symptoms include formation of a large spot on the body for a long period without itching; decrease or total loss of sensation in limbs and foot, clawing of fingers, and feet drops. Early detection leads to a successful treatment, said health officials.
