KARACHI, Jan 26: Health experts have said that 80 per cent of all fresh leprosy cases in the country are reported from Sindh, including 30-40 per cent from Karachi, and blamed mobility of population for the cases, which is restricting their proper monitoring and follow-up treatment.

Speaking at a press conference arranged by the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre (MALC) here on Saturday to mark the 60th World Leprosy Day, they said that the government and the people of the country were needed to develop a sense of ownership for the “leprosy control programme” in order to keep continuing sustained efforts for elimination of the disease.

“Poor availability of locally generated funds, inadequate public awareness of the disease and lack of even simple diagnostic expertise among a majority of healthcare providers are emerging as some of the major problems,” they said.

However, they added that since 1996 Pakistan had managed to successfully control leprosy.“Timely diagnosis and early treatment is the key for leprosy treatment,” they said.

Founder-member of MALC Dr Ruth Pfau, national leprosy specialist Dr Mutahir Zia, director of training and community development Dr Ali Murtaza and chief executive officer of the MALC Mervyn Lobo spoke on the occasion.

They said that the continuing leprosy prevalence rate was generally even below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended threshold of one in 10,000; however, this was high in Karachi with 1.69 per 100,000 people.

MALC CEO Mervyn Lobo said that 80 per cent of all fresh leprosy cases were reported from Sindh, including 30 per cent to 40 per cent from Karachi.

This was attributed to mobility of population that restricted proper monitoring and follow-up of the patients.

“Since its inception in 1950s, the MALC has treated absolutely for free more than 56,000 patients suffering from leprosy and is currently receiving around 400 new cases every year,” he said.

“A well-knitted network of 157 leprosy control centres nationwide mostly in remote areas is functioning in close collaboration with provincial governments,” Mr Lobo added.

He, however, mentioned that this partnership with the government was restricted to sharing of infrastructure and manpower, otherwise all logistics, transport facilities to carry out field surveys and contact service along with provision of medicine were managed by the MALC.

“The problem is funds, which are mainly provided by the German community, which are dwindling and it is high time that our country manage the programme and run it on sustainable basis,” he added.

Dr Mutahir Zia appealed to doctors and skin specialists to cooperate with the MALC and provide necessary guidance to patients to visit the centre.

“Equally important is the public awareness that may help them shun unfounded myths and help patients go the right place for timely treatment,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ruth Pfau said leprosy elimination did not mean that it had been eradicated from the country and there were still many challenges in terms of physical and social rehabilitation that would go on even in the post-elimination phase.

She appealed to the people to do away with the stigmas attached with the disease and the practice to ostracise leprosy patients.

“Pakistan has achieved the gradual elimination of the disease, which is attributed to concerted efforts of a dedicated team of workers,” they said.

It was mentioned on the occasion that the MALC was also actively involved in blindness prevention and TB control programmes in different parts of the country.—APP