Against the backdrop of a resurgence of leprosy cases in the state, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dimapur, Dr. Limatula Aier, has asked Health Workers (HWs) to intensify their surveillance and identify new cases for early intervention and treatment.
A press release by Zonal Leprosy Officer & CD-II Dimapur stated that the CMO Dimapur was speaking at the inaugural programme of the orientation training on leprosy for Medical Officers (MOs) and HWs Dimapur, Niuland, and Chümoukedima districts on February 27 at the Chapel Hall, District Hospital Dimapur. The training organised under National Leprosy Eradication Programme, Dimapur will culminate on February 29.
While exhorting the trainees, Dr. Aier said the leprosy programme had taken a backseat since its elimination in 1998.
However, due to the resurgence of cases in the state, health workers must intensify their surveillance and identify new cases for early intervention and treatment.
The resource person of the training, state leprosy consultant, Dr. S. K. Dey, oriented the trainees on case detection and management of leprosy. He stated that leprosy was caused by a bacterium known as mycobacterium leprae.
Though leprosy is a communicable disease, Dr. Dey said its transmission was very slow, thus touching a leprosy patient or even living with them will not cause infection.
Stating that leprosy affects the nerves and the skin, he demonstrated how to examine suspected leprosy cases and check if their nerves have been affected or not.
He said it was essential to eliminate leprosy as, unlike other communicable diseases, leprosy causes deformity.
Dr. Dey also urged the trainees, as health workers, to not harbour any discrimination towards leprosy patients, and instead make efforts to spread awareness to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.
“Only with the elimination of stigma and discrimination, can leprosy be fully eradicated from the state,” said Dr. Dey.
He said that the main objective of the programme was to eradicate leprosy by 2030, and achieve Zero Transmission by 2027 through Leprosy Case Detection Campaign.
Dr. Dey encouraged the health workers to continue working tirelessly and once again be the first state in the country to eradicate leprosy from the state.
The programme was chaired by zonal leprosy officer & CD-II Dimapur, Dr. Lhishelo Tsuhah, and the welcome address and briefing on the objective of the training was delivered by state leprosy officer, Kohima, Dr. Ruokuohelie Rutsa.
The resource persons for the three-day training are, Dr. S K Dey, Dr. Ruokuohelie Rutsa, Dr. Lhishelo Tsuah, and Hokito Kinimi, NMS, DHFW, Kohima.