The government of Himachal Pradesh on November 24, 2020, launched ‘Him Suraksha Abhiyan’ to screen the entire population of Himachal Pradesh for Covid-19, tuberculosis, leprosy, and other ailments like sugar and high blood pressure. Under the Abhiyaan, door-to-door surveillancce was carried out from November 25 to December 27, 2020 to collect information about health parameters of the people of the state. The campaign involved about 8000 team consisting of health ayurveda, woman and child development, Panchayati Raj departments, district administration, and NGOs.
Leprosy Eradication in Himachal Pradesh The national leprosy eradication programme is being conducted in Himachal Pradesh under the National Health Mission. ASHA workers carry out the screening of the people by going from door to door and try to detect new cases of leprosy at an early stage and refer suspected cases to a medical officer.
Prevalance of Leprosy In the 1980s, the World Health Organisation (WHO) committed to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem by bringing down the number of cases to less than one per 10,000 by the year 2000. India declared to have achieved this staus in 2005, while Himachal Pradesh achieved it in 2002.
Presently, there are around 80-82 patients suffering from leprosy in Himachal Pradesh.
None of the patient decteted for leprosy in 2020 in Himachal Pradesh had visible impariments deformity of ‘Grade 2 disability’ (called so by the WHO). The earlier a diagnosis takes place, the lesser the impairments due to leprosy.
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. In this disease, the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes are mainly affected. As for symptoms, they may occur within a year or it might take 20 years or more to occur. Leprosy is known to occur at all ages and is curable. If diagnosis is made early, disability can be prevented through treatment. Though its mode of transmission has not been fully understood so far, it may be transmitted through droplets from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contact with an infected person. The incubation period of the disease on average is 5–7 years.