IMPROVING COMMUNITY ACCESS TO SPECIALZED LEPROSY HEALTH CARE IN DEBANKI, JHARKHAND

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium Leprae. It usually affects the skin and peripheral nerves, but has a wide range of clinical manifestations. The disease is characterized by long incubation period, generally 5-7 years, and is classified as pauci-bacillary or multi-bacillary, depending on the bacillary load. Leprosy is a leading cause of permanent physical disability. Timely diagnosis and treatment of cases, before nerve damage has occurred, is the most effective way of preventing disability due to leprosy.

The project intends to detect early cases of leprosy and further provide specialized treatment and health care to leprosy patient, mostly belonging to the marginalized and disadvantaged section of the society, in order to aid their recovery and rehabilitation. The overall goal is to reduce the prevalence of leprosy in the project region over the longer term.

By providing specialized medical care, early detection camps, the project will directly benefit 19,500 patient (9000 inpatients, 10,500 outpatients) affected by leprosy. Through outreach activities, the project would further reach out to an overall population of 6,80,850 spread across 789 villages in four blocks, of two districts.