Md. Sazedul Islam :
Leprosy still remains a health problem, creating social and other repercussions. The rights activists said leprosy remains a neglected issue in the country, causing massive sufferings for the people.
The disease has been around since ancient times. It is caused by a slow-growing type of bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. Without proper and timely treatment, it can permanently damage your skin, nerves, arms, legs, feet, and eyes. The main symptom of leprosy is disfiguring skin sores, lumps, or bumps that do not go away after several weeks or months.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), the main mode of transmission is considered to be air-borne, through droplets discharged from the respiratory tract of untreated infectious cases. The disease is completely curable with multi-drug therapy (MDT).
Though curable, the disease entails stigma and those affected become victims of discrimination and often displacement. This is mainly due to the disabilities and deformities that occur as a consequence of peripheral nerve damage in leprosy.
Leprosy is a leading cause of permanent disability in the world and predominantly affects the poor people. Patients are often shunned, isolated and sometimes displaced from their work, marriage and social set-up, needing care and financial support leading to further insecurity, shame, and consequent economic loss.
Leprosy can also destroy the psychological and social health of the affected people. Because of the stigma associated with the disease, patients sometimes delay seeking proper care until they develop physical deformities.
Even when people affected by leprosy are cured, stigma can remain an obstacle to resuming regular life. People experiencing stigma may be unable to reintegrate into their families, marriages, jobs and wider communities.
United Nation human rights expert Alice Cruz said, people affected by leprosy continue to suffer discrimination and lack of access to medical care. Discrimination was perpetuating people’s unnecessary suffering and it was essential to tackle the root causes.
“Discrimination is linked with old stigmas that still lead to segregation and human rights violations of people affected by leprosy. This misconception must be tackled with information and education. States must address the vicious circle of discrimination, exclusion and disability. They must act on their human rights obligations to tackle leprosy-related discrimination and stigma”, she said.
“In Bangladesh, annually on an average 3500 to 4000 new leprosy cases are detected in the recent years. About 10 percent of them later turn disabled for their failure to take timely and proper treatment. So, proper steps should be taken for early case detection and proper treatment across the country. These are important for eradicating the disease”, said The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B).
Though curable and its test and treatment are available for free across the country, leprosy continues to inflict sufferings on our people.
We need to carry out Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities to increase community awareness about leprosy to promote voluntary case reporting and minimize social stigma. Voluntary reporting by patients is the most practical and feasible mode of case detection.
Awareness may facilitate increased detection of early cases, better treatment compliance and reduced stigma attached to the disease.
But detecting new leprosy patients in the country’s remote areas is being hampered due to lack of adequate manpower. The government has facilities and manpower and it can use these for the purpose.
There is a lack of necessary facilities for managing complications of leprosy like deformities/ulcers/lepra reactions in the country. The government should arrange necessary facilities with more sensitive and skilled doctors for the leprosy victims across the country. Uninterrupted supply of MDT drugs and other logistics support need to be ensured across the country.
Presently, leprosy issue has not been given proper attention by the government. Financial allocation in addressing the issue is not sufficient for which leprosy eradication activities are being hampered.
The rights activists said there are problems, which are obstructing the eradication of the disease.
These are: lack of adequate manpower for early case detection across the country, non-integration of leprosy into general health service, lack of quality health care, non-availability of MDT drugs all over the country especially in remote areas, lack of adequate funds, lack of adequate knowledge among physicians, and scarcity of trained employees.
We have to solve the problems and take steps for addressing the leprosy issue effectively. The steps includes taking necessary initiative for early case detection and their timely and complete management, quality leprosy services in an integrated setup by qualified health workers, rehabilitation of the affected people including medical and community-based rehabilitation.
If integration of leprosy into the general health service is done, it can greatly enhance the scope of leprosy service.
By integration, discrimination against leprosy will be removed and the patients have access to the services of ophthalmologists, surgeons, physiotherapists, and general physicians.
“The government must play a leading role in drive against the disease. Otherwise, the drive against the disease is unlikely to succeed. A policy change by the government is very important”, said the rights activists.
In 2016, World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Leprosy Strategy 2016-2020: Accelerating towards a leprosy-free world, which aims to reinvigorate efforts to control leprosy and avert disabilities.
The strategy emphasized the need to sustain expertise and increase the number of skilled leprosy staff, reduce visible deformities as well as stigmatization associated with the disease.
The strategy called for ensuring political commitment and adequate resources for leprosy programmes and promoting partnerships with state and non-state actors, strengthening patient and community awareness of leprosy, and promoting early case detection.
It also called for promoting societal inclusion by addressing all forms of discrimination and stigma, empowering persons affected by leprosy and strengthening their capacity to participate actively in leprosy services.
The WHO recommended promoting access to social and financial support services, for example to facilitate income generation, for persons affected by leprosy and their families, and supporting community-based rehabilitation for people with leprosy-related disabilities.
Apart from medical treatment, the leprosy victims need moral support so that they can regain self-confidence and self-respect.
It is needed to increase the capacity of Health Staff and other target groups like medical practitioners, medical & nursing students, scouts, teachers and religious leaders through training.
According to Article 25 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and of his family.
Healthcare is a basic necessity of a life and fundamental right of citizen. Article 32 of our Constitution called for ensuring right to life such as healthcare and medicine. Our Health Policy also confirms that every citizen has the basic right to adequate healthcare. So, the state and the government are constitutionally obliged to ensure healthcare for its citizens.
Leprosy has always been an issue of human rights violations. Hence, we need a human rights based approach while dealing with leprosy so that the victims can live with equal rights and dignity in the country.
Leprosy still remains a health problem, creating social and other repercussions. The rights activists said leprosy remains a neglected issue in the country, causing massive sufferings for the people.
The disease has been around since ancient times. It is caused by a slow-growing type of bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. Without proper and timely treatment, it can permanently damage your skin, nerves, arms, legs, feet, and eyes. The main symptom of leprosy is disfiguring skin sores, lumps, or bumps that do not go away after several weeks or months.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), the main mode of transmission is considered to be air-borne, through droplets discharged from the respiratory tract of untreated infectious cases. The disease is completely curable with multi-drug therapy (MDT).
Though curable, the disease entails stigma and those affected become victims of discrimination and often displacement. This is mainly due to the disabilities and deformities that occur as a consequence of peripheral nerve damage in leprosy.
Leprosy is a leading cause of permanent disability in the world and predominantly affects the poor people. Patients are often shunned, isolated and sometimes displaced from their work, marriage and social set-up, needing care and financial support leading to further insecurity, shame, and consequent economic loss.
Leprosy can also destroy the psychological and social health of the affected people. Because of the stigma associated with the disease, patients sometimes delay seeking proper care until they develop physical deformities.
Even when people affected by leprosy are cured, stigma can remain an obstacle to resuming regular life. People experiencing stigma may be unable to reintegrate into their families, marriages, jobs and wider communities.
United Nation human rights expert Alice Cruz said, people affected by leprosy continue to suffer discrimination and lack of access to medical care. Discrimination was perpetuating people’s unnecessary suffering and it was essential to tackle the root causes.
“Discrimination is linked with old stigmas that still lead to segregation and human rights violations of people affected by leprosy. This misconception must be tackled with information and education. States must address the vicious circle of discrimination, exclusion and disability. They must act on their human rights obligations to tackle leprosy-related discrimination and stigma”, she said.
“In Bangladesh, annually on an average 3500 to 4000 new leprosy cases are detected in the recent years. About 10 percent of them later turn disabled for their failure to take timely and proper treatment. So, proper steps should be taken for early case detection and proper treatment across the country. These are important for eradicating the disease”, said The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B).
Though curable and its test and treatment are available for free across the country, leprosy continues to inflict sufferings on our people.
We need to carry out Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities to increase community awareness about leprosy to promote voluntary case reporting and minimize social stigma. Voluntary reporting by patients is the most practical and feasible mode of case detection.
Awareness may facilitate increased detection of early cases, better treatment compliance and reduced stigma attached to the disease.
But detecting new leprosy patients in the country’s remote areas is being hampered due to lack of adequate manpower. The government has facilities and manpower and it can use these for the purpose.
There is a lack of necessary facilities for managing complications of leprosy like deformities/ulcers/lepra reactions in the country. The government should arrange necessary facilities with more sensitive and skilled doctors for the leprosy victims across the country. Uninterrupted supply of MDT drugs and other logistics support need to be ensured across the country.
Presently, leprosy issue has not been given proper attention by the government. Financial allocation in addressing the issue is not sufficient for which leprosy eradication activities are being hampered.
The rights activists said there are problems, which are obstructing the eradication of the disease.
These are: lack of adequate manpower for early case detection across the country, non-integration of leprosy into general health service, lack of quality health care, non-availability of MDT drugs all over the country especially in remote areas, lack of adequate funds, lack of adequate knowledge among physicians, and scarcity of trained employees.
We have to solve the problems and take steps for addressing the leprosy issue effectively. The steps includes taking necessary initiative for early case detection and their timely and complete management, quality leprosy services in an integrated setup by qualified health workers, rehabilitation of the affected people including medical and community-based rehabilitation.
If integration of leprosy into the general health service is done, it can greatly enhance the scope of leprosy service.
By integration, discrimination against leprosy will be removed and the patients have access to the services of ophthalmologists, surgeons, physiotherapists, and general physicians.
“The government must play a leading role in drive against the disease. Otherwise, the drive against the disease is unlikely to succeed. A policy change by the government is very important”, said the rights activists.
In 2016, World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Leprosy Strategy 2016-2020: Accelerating towards a leprosy-free world, which aims to reinvigorate efforts to control leprosy and avert disabilities.
The strategy emphasized the need to sustain expertise and increase the number of skilled leprosy staff, reduce visible deformities as well as stigmatization associated with the disease.
The strategy called for ensuring political commitment and adequate resources for leprosy programmes and promoting partnerships with state and non-state actors, strengthening patient and community awareness of leprosy, and promoting early case detection.
It also called for promoting societal inclusion by addressing all forms of discrimination and stigma, empowering persons affected by leprosy and strengthening their capacity to participate actively in leprosy services.
The WHO recommended promoting access to social and financial support services, for example to facilitate income generation, for persons affected by leprosy and their families, and supporting community-based rehabilitation for people with leprosy-related disabilities.
Apart from medical treatment, the leprosy victims need moral support so that they can regain self-confidence and self-respect.
It is needed to increase the capacity of Health Staff and other target groups like medical practitioners, medical & nursing students, scouts, teachers and religious leaders through training.
According to Article 25 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and of his family.
Healthcare is a basic necessity of a life and fundamental right of citizen. Article 32 of our Constitution called for ensuring right to life such as healthcare and medicine. Our Health Policy also confirms that every citizen has the basic right to adequate healthcare. So, the state and the government are constitutionally obliged to ensure healthcare for its citizens.
Leprosy has always been an issue of human rights violations. Hence, we need a human rights based approach while dealing with leprosy so that the victims can live with equal rights and dignity in the country.
