Survey identifies 4 new leprosy cases in Kolhapur, 3 in advanced stage

KOLHAPUR: Health authorities have come across four new cases of leprosy in Kolhapur city in a survey carried out between March 10 and March 21. Out of these four cases, two are adult women, while a case of a child patient has been identified.
Of the four cases, three are in the multi-bacillary (MB), or advanced, stage, requiring intensive treatment.
The survey was carried out in 10 city areas, including Rajendranagar, Siddharthanagar, Budhwar peth, Dudhali, Gandhinagar, Vikramnagar, Indira vashat and Subhashnagar.Over 60,000 citizens were checked in the process. The survey was a part of the active search for leprosy cases under the National Leprosy Eradication Programme.
“Two cases, including that of a child, have been identified from the Rajendranagar area of Kolhapur, while two others were identified from the Ulpe mala area of the Kasba Bawda block of the city,” said Harshala Vedak, assistant director (leprosy), Kolhapur district, state health department.
“Of these four leprosy cases, three are of multi-bacillary (MB) nature,” Vedak said. “Apart from Kolhapur city, the Ichalkaranji municipal council area was surveyed as well. 52,376 citizens, including almost 16,000 children, were examined during the process, out of which six cases were found to be suspicious. After the examination, a case of paucibacillary (PB) leprosy, a mild form of the disease, was confirmed,” she said.
Vedak said that once a case is confirmed to be positive, various tests, like voluntary motor testing and sensor testing, are done to avoid any further spread of the disease.
“Regular follow-ups with patients and a contact survey too has been organized to find out if the disease has spread to other people related to the identified patient. The transportation of Mycobacterium leprae through the respiratory mode is the main cause of the disease,” she said.
Vedak said that though there has definitely been a rise in the number of leprosy cases in Kolhapur, the prevalence rate is not even one case per 10,000 and the disease is well within its normal range. “Kolhapur district, including the city block, has a prevalence rate of 0.4, which signifies that the disease is still very well under control,” Vedak pointed out. She accepted that exhaustive search and more awareness campaigns is the need of the hour to identify any more cases across the district.
“The leprosy health department has a staff of 20, which often makes it difficult to organize surveys and awareness campaigns,” said Vedak.
Health authorities had launched a 12-day leprosy survey across Kolhapur in February 2014 in the wake of an “alarming rise” in the number of patients detected across the district over the past one year. Compared to 156 leprosy cases in 2012-13, health officials had detected 182 instances across the district last year, till December.
Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast, rod-shaped bacillus. M. leprae multiplies very slowly and the incubation period of the disease is about five years. Symptoms can take as long as 20 years to appear. Untreated, leprosy can cause progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Early diagnosis and treatment with multidrug therapy (MDT) remains the key in eliminating the disease as a public health concern, as per the World Health Organisation.
Though 80% of leprosy cases are not infectious, the remaining 20% are. Since no vaccine has yet been developed for leprosy, any person with low immunity can be a prey to the disease, say experts. The global target of leprosy elimination, as set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), was achieved in 2000.