By Aidoghie Paulinus,
The Leprosy Mission Nigeria (TLMN) has called for an urgent approach by the government to end leprosy disease in the country.
TLMN, an NGO, made the call during an awareness walk as part of its activity to mark the 2022 World Leprosy Day.
The National Coordinator, TLMN, Dr Sunday Udo, said the awareness was to remind the government and society that leprosy still exists and poses a significant threat to public health if not properly handled.
Udo also said the awareness was to let people know that leprosy can be cured, the signs and symptoms and treatment which is free and accessible at public health care facilities.
‘Today is World Leprosy Day, it is a significant day in what we do. We want to bring to the consciousness of people that leprosy is still a big problem in this country.
‘The theme for this year is ‘united for dignity and do not forget leprosy.’ And that is because we see a lot of attention being paid to other diseases and leprosy is being neglected and we are saying, do not forget leprosy.
‘It is still a big problem, it is still a significant public health problem in this country. Every day, five persons are diagnosed with leprosy in Nigeria. That means, we all need to come on board to support the national programme, partners in Nigeria to make sure we defeat leprosy.
‘A major challenge we have noticed in leprosy is the stigma and discrimination and that is really sad because leprosy is curable and it does not take more than six to twelve months to get cured.
‘It is not contagious, it is mildly infectious, it does not jump like COVID, so it is not something we should be afraid of. It is curable and treatment is free.
‘If you have any skin patch on you, and it is a bit lighter than your normal skin colour, it could be leprosy, come out to the nearest health centre and get tested and get treated,’ Udo said.
Also speaking, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, hailed TLMN for the awareness walk.
Mulombo said the awareness walk will assist the WHO in its fight to eradicate leprosy.
Mulombo who was represented by the Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Focal Point, WHO, Nigeria, Mr Suleiman Aliyu, further said WHO provided free medicines for the treatment of leprosy and other NTDs in Nigeria and globally.
‘This walk is completely important for Nigeria and for the NTD community, especially leprosy because we are raising awareness among our populace and the masses to understand the importance of leprosy prevention, control and that we are aiming towards elimination.
‘It is a neglected tropical disease, so most people do not know about it or think that it does not exist anymore.
‘It is completely treatable and curable and if you detect it early, then you would not have the disabilities that come with leprosy.
‘WHO also provides medicine for the treatment of leprosy and many other neglected tropical diseases. So, yearly, we ship in these drugs for these patients free of charge,’ Mulombo said.
