Thirty one confirmed leprosy patients have been found from July 1 to July 11 in Palamu. District Leprosy Officer Dr Anil Kumar Srivastav has confirmed this figure of 31 leprosy cases, which are the frank cases now.
Dr Srivastav said this figure of 31 is the cumulative figure spanning over July 1 to 11. He assured that doctors where these cases have been found as cases of confirmed leprosy will be taking all care of them.
He said the number of the suspected cases of leprosy in Palamu is far higher as the cumulative figure of the suspected cases of leprosy till July 11 from July 1 is 745.
The district leprosy officer said confirmed leprosy patients are given slippers by us to keep their feet and sole safe. Among the 31 confirmed cases of leprosy, 24 confirmed cases are of paucibacillary leprosy while 7 are of the multibacillary leprosy.
These 31 new cases of leprosy in Palamu are in addition to the already existing 264 old cases which are undergoing treatment for leprosy here in Palamu.
The district leprosy officer said we have instructed our Sahiyas to keep a close tab on all the suspected cases of leprosy as they are to show up before the doctors for a final diagnosis of their symptoms.
Dr Srivastav said it is the prime duty and responsibility of all the suspected cases of leprosy to have a free consultation and diagnosis of the government doctors without any delay as this delay in diagnosis may boomerang upon the suspected cases.
Civil surgeon Palamu Dr Anil Kumar said once our district leprosy officer gets over this 14 day leprosy case detection campaign, our health machinery will go after the suspected cases of leprosy as to whether they showed up at the government health hubs or not.
The district leprosy officer said the Sahiyas can easily find out with the help of the referral slips whose counterfoil is with the Sahiyas and the main referral slips with the suspected cases of leprosy.