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Thirty thousand people suffering from Leprosy |
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May 19, 2000
Thakurgaon, May 18 (UNB)- About 30,000 people in four districts of the region suffering from leprosy are yet to get proper treatment although the government has been campaigning to remove the curse of the disease from the country by the end of this year. Official statistics show that the government and NGOs are providing treatment free of cost. Despite that the number of leprosy patients swelled to 25,000 in Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Rangpur and Nilphamari districts. Some 5,000 of them have already rendered disabled. Leprosy patients are given treatment in thana health complexes of the government while NGOs are operating leprosy control units in 23 districts.
According to a survey conducted by Denis-Bangladesh Leprosy Mission here, 50 percent of the country’s total 80,000 leprosy patients are in the four districts. The mission treated over 30,000 patients in these districts during the last 22 years. Thousands of leprosy patients are now getting treatment in three hospitals and 60 centres in the four districts.
In rural areas people have age-old belief that leprosy is a curse from Allah. They usually avoid the leprosy patients. Even after one is cured he does not have easy access of mixing with others. As a result many patients try to conceal the disease and avoid treatment from the leprosy hospitals. In a bid to remove the disease, door to door search is needed to locate the patients and steps to rehabilitate them after they are cured.
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