World Leprosy Day is observed internationally every year on the last Sunday of January to increase the public awareness of Leprosy or Hansen's Disease. French humanitarian and Philanthropist Raoul Follereau chose the date January 25 as a tribute to the life and legacy of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi who had compassion for people afflicted with leprosy. To raise public awareness of leprosy, including the medical and social implications of the disease and the rights of persons affected is the essence of celebrating World Leprosy Day on an annual basis.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), leprosy was downgraded as a global public health problem in the year 2000 because it had a global prevalence of less than 1 case per 10,000 people. The Western Pacific Regional Office of the WHO classifies the Philippines as somewhat of an outlier in terms of leprosy incidence. The Philippines has the highest incidence of leprosy of any country in the region – about 1,700 new cases have been identified in each of the last three years, although that rate is half what it was a decade ago – and is largely responsible for the region being behind the rest of the world in achieving the 1 in 10,000 benchmark.
As one of the oldest recorded diseases in the world, it is an infectious chronic disease that targets the nervous system, especially the nerves in the cooler parts of the body: the hands, feet, and face. While most parts of the world considered leprosy as largely a disease of the past, the Philippines continues to grapple this disease even in this time of COVID-19 Pandemic. According to data provided by the Department of Health, statistics show that although the overall prevalence of leprosy is less than 0.4 cases per 10,000, 1,660 new cases were identified in 2017 alone, about 6.7 percent of those cases are children under the age of 15. Serious actions must be done to keep this disease on check.
The issues faced by public health advocates and victims of leprosy in the Philippines are illustrative of problems faced throughout the country which includes but not limited to difficulty in detection and treatment of often isolated sufferers, a lack of raising public awareness and understanding of leprosy, and low prioritization of public health efforts to treat leprosy and its social impact on the part of local government units. The Philippine government in 2016 launched the National Leprosy Control Program (NLCP) to address the problem. The Program is a multi-agency effort involving the DOH, WHO, and a number of private sector and NGO/CSO partners with the goal of “a leprosy-free Philippines by 2022.”
The first major initiative of the NLCP is the completion of a baseline population survey to better calibrate the program’s response and identify pockets where leprosy is still prevalent. According to experts, better treatment options and the relatively low risk of transmission means that it is not necessary to isolate patients from the community. This would help reduce some of the stigma and discrimination patients’ with leprosy face by giving an opportunity to educate their communities and eliminate some of the fear of the disease. However, changing social attitudes still is a big challenge that needs collective effort from all sectors of society. # Leo Christian V. Lauzon
