As many as 195 suspected cases of leprosy were detected in Dakshina Kannada district during the State-wide 15-day special leprosy detection campaign, which concluded a few days ago.
District Health and Family Welfare Officer M. Kishore Kumar said that as part of the campaign, health workers carried out door-to-door visits. As many as 4.48 lakh houses were visited and 39,020 people were screened.
“As many as 195 persons suspected of leprosy have been identified. They were found having silvery patches on their skin that were numb,” Dr. Kumar said. As many as 124 were from Puttur taluk, followed by 65 from Mangaluru taluk. There were three persons from Bantwal taluk, two from Belthangady and one from Sullia taluk.
These persons will shortly be called to Government Wenlock Hospital where further examination will be done before giving them necessary treatment.
Dr. Kumar said leprosy detection activity is done on a regular basis in the district. Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign is also carried out every year. The special leprosy detection campaign was done this year to intensify efforts in early detection and treatment for this infectious disease caused by mycobacterium leprae bacteria.
“Anybody can be infected by leprosy. Whosoever has white patches should get the same examined by a dermatologist,” Dr. Kumar said. With treatment, the patches will disappear and the infection will not reoccur,” he added.
In the period between April 2022 and March 2023, as many as 50 persons from Dakshina Kannada and 25 persons from other districts were found with leprosy in the district. Of the 75, 43 were multibacillary (infectious) leprosy cases. All the 75 were undergoing multidrug treatment, Dr. Kumar said.