Leprosy detection campaign to be held in Karnataka’s Mandya district from September 8 to 24

A leprosy detection campaign will be held in Karnataka’s Mandya district from September 8 to 24.

Deputy Commissioner of Mandya, Kumar, presided over a meeting organised in Mandya by the District Health and Family Welfare Department, office of District Leprosy Eradication Officer, district administration, and the zilla panchayat, on Tuesday.

At present, 24 cases of leprosy had been detected in the district and all the patients were undergoing treatment. Pointing out that leprosy can be cured with treatment if detected early, Mr. Kumar urged people to consult the doctors as soon as leprosy appears.

The upcoming campaign to detect leprosy cases in the district will focus on 100 villages where the disease had been found more frequently in the last five years. The target is to visit 40,529 houses and screen 1.66 lakh people.

With the authorities forming 290 teams to conduct the campaign and appointing 14 supervisors to oversee the teams, Mr. Kumar emphasised that more people should be informed about the efforts, and awareness should be created about leprosy among students of schools, residential schools, and hostels.

He also stressed about the need to remove superstitions about leprosy, if any, among the people, and said that officials should explain to the public the scientific facts about the disease and the importance of timely treatment. People with leprosy are often viewed differently by the society, and awareness should be created to treat leprosy patients with love and compassion, he said.

He also reminded the participants of the meeting that it was a dream of Mahatma Gandhi to make the country free from leprosy and build a healthy society.

Mandya district Leprosy Eradication Officer Somashekar, who was present at the meeting, pointed out that land had been identified on the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) premises to set up a 25-bed care and rehabilitation centre for destitute individuals suffering from mental illness, and that proposals had been invited from eligible NGOs to provide care for the mentally ill.

Mandya district Health and Family Welfare Officer K. Mohan, MIMS Director Narasimhamurthy, Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare Department Rajamurthy, and others were also present at the meeting.