The recent revelation by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Health Observatory Data that Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest incidence of leprosy in Africa is worrisome. In the data released as part of the activities marking the World Leprosy Day on January 30, Nigeria recorded 2,892 new cases of leprosy in 2015.
Also, within ten years, Nigeria reportedly recorded 43,179 cases of leprosy. States in Nigeria with high incidence of the disease include Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Bauchi, Taraba, Niger, Kogi, Ebonyi, Abia, Cross River, Edo, Osun, Ogun and Lagos. Other African countries that have a high incidence of leprosy include Democratic Republic of Congo, 4,237 and Ethiopia, 3,970.
Globally, about 212,000 more people were affected by leprosy in 2015. Out of this figure, 60 percent occurred in India. The other high burden countries are Brazil and Indonesia. The data also indicated that 8.9 percent of the new cases of leprosy involved children, while 6.7 percent had visible deformities.
At this year’s World Leprosy Day, the WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, Dr. Poonam Singh, called for renewed commitment and the scaling up of efforts towards the eradication of the disease. Singh pointed out that an inclusive approach is needed to end leprosy that has continued to afflict thousands of people every year. It is, indeed, regrettable that despite the fact that leprosy was eliminated globally as a public health problem in 2000, the disease continues to mar the lives of individuals, families and communities in many countries.
Despite the resurgence of leprosy in the country, the Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has assured that the disease is curable, and it is not a punishment from heaven. It has been discovered that the multidrug therapy or MDT, which has been available since the 1980s, can fully cure leprosy. To contain the disease, the health minister said that the Federal Government has launched the five-year National Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Strategic Plan (2016-2020), which will help eliminate the disease in the endemic states.
The plan, the minister stressed, is expected to facilitate the implementation of appropriate strategies to increase case detection, improve treatment outcome, prevent disabilities and provide rehabilitation services to affected persons.
According to medical experts, leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae. It is transmitted through droplets from the nose and mouth during close frequent contacts with untreated cases. Untreated leprosy can cause progressive and permanent damage to some parts of the body. The disease, which occurs more commonly among those living in poverty, affects mainly the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes.
The disease also leads to a lack of ability to feel pain and eventual loss of parts of extremities arising from repeated injuries or infections due to unnoticed wounds. Other signs to watch out for include strange lightening of the skin, skin lesion and white patches on the skin with loss of sensation. The good news about the disease is that it is curable and treatment provided at early stages averts disability.
The resurgence of leprosy in Nigeria is a cause for concern. We recall that the WHO in 1999 removed Nigeria from the list of high leprosy endemic nations, having achieved a target of at most one case per 10,000 persons. Therefore, the Federal Government must do everything possible to reverse the resurgence of the disease. Since early detection and diagnosis go a long way in reducing disability in victims, government should massively enlighten the public about the disease and where to access treatment.
Those down with the disease should not be stigmatised or discriminated against as these further fuel its spread. Let government make the treatment of leprosy free and accessible. States with high leprosy cases should collaborate with the federal health agencies to ensure that the disease is eliminated from our shores.
People with leprosy need care and love. Government should, therefore, enact laws to protect them. The federal, state and local governments should work in concert to confront the leprosy scourge and kick it out of the country.