Why in news?  Sparsh Leprosy awareness(SLAC) campaign to be held in Dakshina Kannada

Highlights:

• A leprosy cases that have been detected in Dakshina Kannada are majority of them being migrant workers from Odisha, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand.
• Surveillance is carried out for early detection and treatment of leprosy which helps to check the progress of the disease to Grade 2 level.
• India has seen a sharp decline in the number of leprosy cases in the last three decades, they still account for 59 per cent of the total leprosy cases in the world.

What are the steps taken under the programme?

• SLAC aims to increase community participation and awareness by reaching out to at their doorstep by overcoming the stigma attached to it.
• The disease is completely curable, those who are undergoing treatment for leprosy or have been cured are given multicellular rubber footwear and self-care kit for free
• Series of camps will be organised to districts to detect the leprosy cases as a part of the campaign.

About Leprosy

• It is a chronic, curable infectious disease mainly causing skin lesions and nerve damage.
• Caused by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae
• Symptoms include light-coloured or red skin patches with reduced sensation, numbness and weakness in hands and feet
• Leprosy can be cured with 6-12 months of multi-drug therapy and early treatment avoids disability.
• It does not spread during pregnancy to the unborn child or through sexual contact.
• Leprosy occurs more commonly among people living in poverty.