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Leprosy Mailing List – June 10, 2015
Ref.: (LML) What every Indian should know about leprosy
From: P Narasimha Rao, India; Grace Warren, Australia; Joydeepa Darlong, India
Dear Dr Pieter,
This mail is in response the mail sent by Dr Joel Almeida (LML, June 9, 2015). Sincere appreciations for his efforts.
Nicely structured information on Leprosy. 1 to 10 are useful to everyone concerned with leprosy and lay population as well.
However, the points 11 and 12 may need revision and /or reconsidered. Reg point no 11: Monthly monitoring of nerves in RFT patients is the most difficult task and may incur considerable expenditure to the programme.
Reg point no 12: It is difficult to involve every Indian citizen in this endeavour. Even leprosy patient may not be willing to disclose their disease to others in their community or leaders, by writing to them. Instead the program managers of NLEP, ILEP and WHO should be sensitised on importance of frequent nerve examination in treated patients, and funds/ personnel needed for it. It is utopian objective in my opinion, but if someone takes it up, very very useful.
Hope this feedback is useful.
With best regards,
P Narasimha Rao
Dear Pieter.
I would like to express my thanks and delight in receiving this LML letter. I have heard so many bits about Indian leprosy and knew the numbers were high but here is a concrete statement that explains a lot of the misconceptions and should help others to realise what needs to be done ( I have not been in India in the last 20 years I think!).
He accents very nicely the fact that what we do not look for we will never see and that lots of the early cases are missed until they are infectious! And I am sure this is partly because the students do not really learn a lot about Leprosy these days in Med. school, and so they do not look for it especially in children with minimal skin lesions that do not conform to the WHO definition of leprosy.
It is not just what every Indian should know – it is what every doctor should know!!! And put into practice.
Thank you very much for publishing it.
Grace Warren
Previously travelling advisor for The Leprosy Mission in Asia
Dear Pieter,
This document has put all aspects of leprosy in a nutshell. Nothing is new here. The fact that poverty has been mentioned in the document is commendable. There are pockets of endemic leprosy affected people who cannot read or write and do not have basic amenities like water and electricity.
Advocacy to alleviate poverty and bridge the great divide must be done alongside.
Regards.
Joydeepa Darlong
LML - S Deepak, B Naafs, S Noto and P Schreuder
LML blog link: http://leprosymailinglist.blogspot.it/
Contact: Dr Pieter Schreuder << editorlml@gmail.com
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