KARACHI: Pakistan has achieved a challenging task of reducing the leprosy prevalence rate below one patient per 100,000-population yet Sindh and Punjab are the provinces where more newly-diagnosed patients have been registered than the rest of the country, experts said on Saturday.

They said leprosy prevalence rates were below the WHO recommended threshold, between 0.27 per 10,000 population in Karachi and 0.04 in Azad Kashmir, and were decreasing further. Incidence rates, however, are only up in Karachi with 1.68 per 100,000-population, still above the required figure. While Punjab, though a low prevalence area, is showing increasing numbers of leprosy cases, otherwise trends are persistent.

“The Leprosy Control Programme in Pakistan has met the WHO requirements,” said Dr Ruth Pfau, founder member of the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre (MALC), while briefing the media about the current situation about the disease on the eve of 62nd World Leprosy Day observed on the last Sunday of January every year.

She said their team that had achieved the feat of making the programme success, felt that “we should not stop here, but should apply the same methodology to tackle a second health problem where currently nobody is engaged in, and which is very close to leprosy as well — the community based rehabilitation for the disabled.”

She said that the MALC was working for the elimination of leprosy, tuberculosis and blindness from Pakistan besides community developments for the past 56 years.

Since its inception, she said, more than 56,500 leprosy patients had been registered out of which 98pc were treated for free in 157 MALC leprosy centres across Pakistan.

She said that about 300 to 400 new cases were being registered at MALC every year and estimated that that would continue for another two decades. She said there was a need to create public awareness to minimise the burden of the disease.

She was accompanied by Mervyn Lobu, Dr Mutahir Zia and Dr Ali Murtaza.

“World Leprosy Day does not only symbolise our feelings of togetherness and love with patients affected with leprosy, but it also provides an opportunity to all of us working for leprosy to come closer and renew our commitment for a leprosy free world,” she said.

She said leprosy was controlled in Pakistan in 1996. The prevalence of the disease reduced to the extent that the WHO declared the disease under control in Pakistan, one of the first countries in East Mediterranean Region to achieve that goal.

Dr Mutahir Zia said according to statistics available with the MALC, ratios of total patients were so low that for Northern Areas, Azad Kashmir, and Balochistan, percentage could no longer be calculated.

“Of all the provinces, only Punjab, though a low prevalence area, is showing increasing numbers of leprosy cases, otherwise trends are persistent. Karachi (Sindh) is focal point as it is also treating the patients from Balochistan and the rest of Sindh,” he said.

He said 6,461 leprosy patients received free treatment along with comprehensive care facility to prevent deformity and aid rehabilitation; 10,086 lives were saved from TB. Some 57pc of them are women and children.

Besides, he added, 2,948 blind people had had their eyesight restored by surgeries, 204,630 people received free consultation and 61,727 children were protected from night blindness; 60 deformed and homeless patients received day care and medical services; 1,703 leprosy ulcer patients received indoor nursing care and surgical treatment free of charge; and 141,912 skin patients received free consultation, lab services and treatment.

Published in Dawn January 25th , 2015

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