The World Health Organisation, WHO, has declared that it wants to have moved from ‘eradicating leprosy as a public health problem’ to ‘elimination of leprosy disease’. The aim is to have zero disease, zero stigma and zero disability by 2030.
In 2023, 1454 new cases of Leprosy were detected in Tanzania, which sadly means the country remains on WHO’s list of 23 global priority countries where leprosy is still a significant problem.
Dr Nnally, the District TB and Leprosy Co-Ordinator, suspects there are areas in Rufiji where leprosy has started to re-emerge. In December last year, RLT provided the funds for him and our Acting Manager, Salum Kipaloya to visit the village of Tawi, a hundred miles south of Utete. They screened 42 people for leprosy and found two positive cases. They were able to initiate treatment for these two cases and provided the patients with protective shoes.
Staff at the Tawi dispensary had refresher courses on how to spot new cases of leprosy and administer treatment. Patients attending the dispensary for other reasons were also told about the signs of leprosy.
Dr Nnally also took the opportunity to screen 40 people for TB and awaits the results of specialized lab tests for this.
