DOH brings leprosy back to public consciousness

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines – With leprosy, or Hansenite disease, disappearing from the consciousness of the public and even doctors, local and international advocates and medical professionals have gathered here in an attempt to bring the illness to the forefront of health care and social systems.

Health Undersecretary Dr. Teodoro Herbosa said leprosy has become a “very rare condition and some young doctors have not even seen leprosy.”

“Many cases are diagnosed as some blisters or skin disease. The situation has really changed,” said Herbosa on the sidelines of the First Leprosy Stakeholders Symposium organized by the Department of Health (DOH) and Novartis Healthcare Philippines here yesterday.

Herbosa noted when the DOH established its National Leprosy Control Program (NLCP) in 1986, there were 38,570 registered leprosy patients in the country, translating to an annual prevalence rate of 7.2 per 10,000 Filipinos.

“By the end of 1998, leprosy was virtually eliminated as a public health problem, in response to the World Health Organization-World Health Assembly call to eliminate leprosy in 2000. This level has been sustained up to the present. However, there are still pockets of cases identified in some municipalities in the country.  

Data showed Region 1 still having new cases, followed by Regions 7 and 12,” he said.

At present, the prevalence rate is pegged at 0.2 per 10,000 population and this is equivalent to 1,000 to 2,000 new infections every year.

Dr. Francesca Gajete, program manager of DOH-NLCP, said the reduction in leprosy cases was primarily caused by the development of “multi-drug therapy (MDT),” a cocktail of three drugs that made the disease curable. Two of these drugs — dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine — were developed by Novartis.

Gajete added that country’s efforts to control leprosy were boosted by the free drugs provided by Novartis to Filipino patients since 2000.

At present, a total of 3,041 patients benefit from the Novartis donations which are being coursed through the WHO. MDT is given for 12 months to patients.

Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development president and managing director Klaus Leisinger said the pharmaceutical firm hopes to help the Philippines establish “leprosy-free zones by 2015.”

Leisinger added that while anti-leprosy campaigns worldwide have gone a long way since the development of MDT, “the last mile will be very difficult (because it is) disappearing from the radar” of health care professionals.

Gajeta said one of the biggest challenges now in leprosy prevention programs is the “stigma” associated with the disease.

Former Culion, Palawan mayor Hilarion Guia agreed to this, as he also experienced being discriminated being a former leprosy Guia, 69, was found to be infected with leprosy when he was barely three years old. Five of his nine siblings have also contracted the disease although their parents were not infected.

“When I was a child, I could no longer play with other kids. I had to stop from going to school. When I was eight years old, I was brought to the Culion leprosarium,” he said.

Even when he was declared cured in 1988, Guia opted to stay in the leprosarium because he knew that he would not be welcome in their community. The facility had become his home and it was where he had his own family; he was elected mayor two decades ago.

“But I think the stigma in leprosy is there only if you have nothing in life. When I was elected mayor, my town honored me as ‘outstanding son’ of my town Talaga, Mabini, Batangas… I was very much welcome and they became proud of me,” he said.

Guia underscored the need to scale up public awareness about leprosy to remove the stigma, thus enabling patients to resume a normal life.

Leprosy is caused by bacteria and if untreated, it can damage the nerves causing numbness and lack of feeling in the limbs. This results in festering wounds on the hand and feet, and then to deformities on the face and limbs.