Leprosy no longer incurable, says PDS

When one mentions leprosy – one of the oldest and most feared diseases known to mankind – we invariably imagine afflicted persons during the biblical times or two centuries ago when they were ostracized by society. Lepers then were considered outcasts and "untouchables," or worse as "living corpses."

However, this mildly communicable disease (also called Hansen’s disease) caused by slow-growing bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae, can be cured.

In fact, it is more curable than chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. One does not take medicines for leprosy for a lifetime.

The disease mainly affects the skin and nerves. Although it is transmitted primarily through coughing and sneezing by afflicted individuals, a patient who gets afflicted with leprosy may have had prolonged exposure to an untreated patient, or has a weak immune system. In fact, approximately 95 percent of us have a natural immunity to leprosy.

The early signs of Hansen’s disease include discolored or light patches on the skin with loss of feeling. Leprosy patches can be pale, reddish, or copper-colored, flat or raised. They do not itch. They usually do not hurt. They lack or lose sensation to heat, touch or pain. They can appear anywhere.

If left untreated, leprosy can cause deformity, crippling and blindness. This is because when nerve trunks in the arm are affected, part of the hand becomes numb and small muscles become paralyzed, leading to curling of the fingers and thumb.

When leprosy attacks nerves in the legs, it interrupts communication of sensation in the feet. The feet can become subject to erosion through untended wounds and infection.

If the facial nerve is affected, a person loses the blinking reflex of the eye, which can eventually lead to dryness, ulceration, and blindness. Bacilli entering the mucous lining of the nose can lead to internal damage and scarring which in time causes the nose to collapse.

But today, have no fear. Leprosy is no longer incurable and life-threatening.

Afflicted persons can now be successfully treated using multi-drug therapy (MDT), making use of three antibiotics: rifampicin, clofazimine and dapsone.

Treatment can take from six months to a year, sometimes longer, depending on the severity of infection. Alternative treatment is also available for those who will not be able to tolerate these antibiotics.

In the Philippines, MDT was successfully employed in field trials in 1985. Since then, it has remained the mainstay of leprosy control in the country.

In fact, the Department of Health (DOH) maintains that leprosy is not anymore a major public health concern, as prevalence rate in 2004 was at 0.38 per 10,000 individuals, way below the international threshold of one per 10,000, which is the criterion of the World Health Organization (WHO) for an effective leprosy control.

While the Philippines has achieved a considerable headway in leprosy prevention and treatment, compared in 1986 when the prevalence rate was 7.2 per 10,000, there is still a lot to be done.

For the last three years, we still detect an average of 2,000 to 2,500 cases per year. Areas of concern with a prevalence rate of 1.0 to 1.9 per 10,000 include Ilocos Norte and Sur, Laoag, Candon, Vigan, Ormoc, Siquijor, Cagayan de Oro, Oroquieta, Iligan, Basilan and Sulu.

Moreover, the percentage of children (below 15 years old) among the new cases has not reached the benchmark of <5 percent. For the last two years, approximately 5.6 to 6.1 percent of the new cases are children.

We also have not reached the target of reducing the number of patients who suffer from deformities, that is, there are still a large number who have not been given early treatment because of lack of awareness, resulting in delayed detection. To date, approximately 4.5 percent suffer from severe deformities.

Thus, the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS), in cooperation with the National Leprosy Control Program of the DOH Communicable Disease Service, the Philippine Leprosy Mission and the World Health Organization, continues to wage a sustained campaign to help detect all patients and cure them. We need to remove the fear of leprosy, and at the same time, improve people’s awareness of its early signs.

"The stigma of leprosy, one of the oldest scourges of man, should no longer exist. Patients afflicted with leprosy should be able to lead completely normal lives," says the PDS, the oldest and largest organization of trained and accredited skin specialists in the country.

Now on its 53rd year, the PDS is spearheading the observance of February as "Leprosy Month."

Until Feb. 27, PDS institutions are having poster display, daily lectures, and film showings to help disseminate information about Hansen’s disease.

This Saturday, the Philippine Leprosy Mission and the PDS will hold the Walk for a Cause for patients afflicted with leprosy. The group will gather from 6:30 a.m. to 12 noon at the North Avenue Gate of the Quezon City Circle.

Coinciding with Valentine’s celebration, Leprosy Month should be an opportune time for all Filipinos, young and old, to be aware of Hansen’s disease, and participate in its total elimination.

According to the PDS, the best way to eliminate the disease is early detection. The best way to prevent deformities is early treatment. Those who think they have any of the symptoms mentioned may visit the nearest barangay or municipal health clinic, or better yet consult a certified dermatologist.

To sustain leprosy prevention over the long term, the PDS recommends maintaining a sanitary environment, avoiding overcrowding, and eating nutritious food.

Founded in 1952, the PDS is the only recognized affiliate society for dermatology of the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine College of Physicians.

The Society is committed to maintaining the highest ethical professional standards in the practice of dermatology through its mission-vision: to be a highly recognized society, locally and globally, striving toward excellence in the attainment of healthy skin for all, through humane service, information dissemination, training and research.

The PDS Secretariat is at Rm. 1015, Front Tower, Cathedral Heights building complex, St. Luke’s Medical Center, E. Rodriguez Avenue, Quezon City. For inquiries, call 727-7309, or log on to www.pds.org.ph