Nigeria joined the global community to celebrate this year’s World Leprosy Day and the importance of early detection and treatment. This year’s theme, “Unite, Act, Eliminate Leprosy: A Global Imperative,” aims to raise awareness of leprosy, highlight the challenges faced by persons affected by leprosy, and inspire collaborative action to eliminate the debilitating disease. World Leprosy Day is held every year on the last Sunday of January.
We recognise that leprosy is at least 4,000 years old, making it one of the oldest diseases known to humanity. French humanitarian Raoul Follereau chose the date as a tribute to the life of Mahatma Gandhi, who did much work with persons affected by leprosy and died at the end of January 1948.
About 200,000 people are diagnosed with leprosy each year in 120 countries and many millions are living with leprosy-related disabilities, particularly across Asia, Africa, and South America.
Leprosy is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that remains a public health concern in Nigeria.
Though Nigeria achieved the national leprosy elimination target of less than 1/10,000 population in 1998, some factors, such as culture, behavioural patterns, and social determinants, are still contributing to more leprosy cases.
We recall that the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) started in 1989. Between 1991 and 2012, 111,788 leprosy patients were effectively treated with multidrug-resistant treatment, and the country was also able to meet another target, the WHO eradication target of fewer than one case per 10,000 people in 2000.
With a case detection rate of less than five per cent per 10,000 persons, Nigeria is currently classified as low endemic for leprosy; however, at the subnational level, there are areas of ‘high endemicity’ where the prevalence remains at up to one instance per 10,000 persons.
In 2019, 10 per cent (20,205) of global leprosy cases were recorded in Africa, with Nigeria and 12 other countries reporting 1000–10,000 cases.
Some concerns involve a low index of leprosy suspicion, low leprosy detection, ongoing transmission, and recycling of leprosy cases amidst dwindling clinical skills.
During last year’s celebration of the event, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) expressed worry that despite reaching the target of leprosy elimination as a country, Nigeria still reports a significant prevalence of leprosy in some states and among the 17 countries that still report more than 1000 cases of leprosy annually.
According to it, the epidemiological data between 2011 and 2021 showed an annual average of 2,754 new cases with 93 per cent of them having the more severe disease that is infectious to others.
It can be classified going by the ends of the spectrum of its presentations into lepromatous leprosy and tuberculoid leprosy. But there are other types between the two types that are known as borderline varieties.
They also revealed that an average of 8.3 per cent of the new cases are children below the age of 15 suggesting ongoing new infections.
Of all the new cases, an average of 14.3 per cent present with grade 2 disabilities suggesting significant delay in the diagnosis of the disease, the association added.
According to the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP) 2022 data, there were 2393 cases (2021 being 2398 new cases), most of whom had multibacillary leprosy (97 per cent) affecting more than a third of females (37 per cent) and less than a tenth of children.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) described leprosy, which is also known as Hansen’s disease, as a chronic infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria known as Mycobacterium leprae.
The global health body explained that the disease, which predominantly affects the skin and peripheral nerves, may cause progressive and permanent disabilities if left untreated.
According to WHO, the disease is transmitted through droplets from the nose and mouth. Prolonged close contact over months with someone with untreated leprosy is needed to catch the disease.
Symptoms include light-coloured or red skin patches with reduced sensation, numbness and weakness in hands and feet.
Leprosy is curable with a combination of antibiotics known as Multi Drug Therapy (MDT)and this treatment is available for free across the world.
But many people delay seeking treatment, not understanding their symptoms or fearing the stigma that comes with a diagnosis.
World Leprosy Day aligns closely with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably: SDG 3 and SDG 10.
Unfortunately, the level of stigma and disdain experienced by some people living with the ailment is so disheartening as leprosy is seen as the most terrible and despised disease in some areas of Nigeria.
World Leprosy Day is an important event that brings together health experts, community leaders, and legislators to advocate for and take action towards eradicating the illness.
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