Human body is a complicated system consisting of several organs that help us live for a certain time, until those very organs can no longer work properly, causing illness to our bodies. To prevent any harm to our bodies, we are to take care of our health from an early age and be aware about individual problems. In past few decades several illnesses have penetrated our safe-house of a world, affecting our daily lives and our mindset. To counter these maligning diseases, scientists and doctors around the world have worked hard to create many life-saving drugs.
Leprosy, a disease that has rocked the world previously has also served its time widely in India. However, in 2005, India became victorious, eliminating Leprosy from it streets. With Leprosy gone, the awareness that has till now actively helped in the elimination was also gone, as people resigned from daily routine check-ups and keep the symptoms under check. Initially there were not many cases, so the matter was not really looked into, and the lack of notice resulted in the 2017 Central Leprosy Division of Heath Ministry reporting 135,485 new cases of Leprosy already detected in India. India received a funding from WHO to tackle Leprosy and under pressure to show progress at a higher level, in 2005 India declared the elimination of Leprosy, on the basis of 1 in 10,000 people. But due to the vast population India has, 1 in 10,000 means a lot, and in 2016, WHO noted that India has the largest Leprosy patients in the world.
Prevention and elimination of Leprosy would be a challenge for the Government but the need of the hour. Leprosy is an infectious disease by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, which when humans are affected with, they initially do not have many symptoms to suspect but later symptoms like, granulomas of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes can be seen affected. Leprosy needs an early treatment to prevent it from growing, as damages in nerves, skin becomes irreversible after a certain time. To fight off Leprosy in India is another tough nut to crack, with stigmas plaguing the society for several decades. As Leprosy can be transmitted through physical contact, which is why in rural areas people tend to isolate the one’s affected with the disease.
Last year, Supreme Court urged the States and Central Government to start awareness programs as soon as possible, so the undetected cases are put to front and early actions can be taken against Leprosy. Leprosy has robbed humankind off from a lot of things like other deadly diseases have so far and it is the time when we try to fight it off and treat every single case with utter care so our next generation can live in a better tomorrow.
