Leprosy linked to poverty in the region

Mozambique, Angola and Madagascar have the highest rates of leprosy in the subregion, the Leprosy Mission in Southern Africa told IRIN on Tuesday. However, country director Peter Laubscher cautioned that the number of cases were not necessarily an indication of a growing problem, but more a reflection of better detection. This was especially the case in Angola and Mozambique, which are rebuilding their public health services and treatment programmes after protracted civil wars. Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease which mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and also the eyes. If not detected in time, it can lead to deformities and blindness. New statistics for Angola, provided by a Leprosy Mission representative based there, have shown that the number of new patients doubled between 2001 and 2002. There were sharp increases in Cuanda Cubango, Cabinda, Malanje and Luanda provinces, in the south and north of the country. "There's a big push now to make treatment available and so detection rates are going up. Maybe they will stabilise after about three or four years," Laubscher explained. "Leprosy is often associated with poverty, so that would also explain why it is more prevalent in those three countries," he said. "In South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia, which have the lowest rates, the countries are more stable and treatment facilites are better." The international community agreed in 1999 to create the Global Alliance to Eliminate Leprosy (GAEL) with a target of extinguishing the disease as a public health problem by the year 2005. Elimination has been defined as less than one case per 10,000 people. Among the 122 countries where the disease was considered endemic in 1985, 108 have now reached the GAEL target at the country level. Today, 90 percent of cases are found in India, Brazil, Nepal, Madagascar, Mozambique and Myanmar, according to the World Health Organisation. "Most people think leprosy is something of the past and no longer requires attention, so training is important," said Laubscher. He explained that his organisation works alongside health authorities offering support and help with early detection. Although Angola is approaching only its first anniversary of a ceasefire which ended 27-years of civil war, great strides were being made in detecting and treating leprosy there, Laubscher said. "Angola has paramedical staff who work exclusively with leprosy in each province. The guys are working hard and they are making a difference. They are people who are prepared to get stuck in and are taking health care seriously, even though things are very difficult for them," he said. Fortunately for people diagnosed with leprosy, isolation and banishment to "leper colonies" is no longer necessary as the danger of the disease spreading stops a few days after a patient is on treatment. The real danger lies when the disease is undetected. It is spread through coughing and sneezing bacteria from the nasal passages, which are among the first areas to be affected. However, some patients still fear the stigma that accompanies the disease in some communities, Laubscher said. For more information: http://www.who.int/lep/disease/disease.htm http://www.leprosymission.co.za/frameset.asp?link=financial