GAIBANDHA, Jan 26, 2020 (BSS) – World Leprosy Day-2020 was celebrated in the district today with a call to eradicate the Leprosy disease from the district and the country by 2030 with the theme of “Zero Disability, Zero Discrimination, Zero Disease of Leprosy”.
Marking the day, the Civil Surgeon (CS) office chalked out elaborate
programmes in cooperation with National Leprosy Programme of Directorate
General of Health Services, The Leprosy Mission International Bangladesh
(TLMIB) and effect:hope (The Leprosy Mission, Canada).
In the morning, a grand rally was brought out from the CS office premises
and ended at the same venue after parading the main roads of the town.
Later, a discussion was also held at the auditorium of the CS office with
CS Dr ABM Abu Hanif in the chair.
President of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), district chapter, Dr
Matiar Rahman addressed the meeting as the chief guest and general secretary
Dr. Nazrul Islam spoke at the event as special guest.
The function was also addressed, among others, by Sadar Upazila Health and
Family Planning Officer Diana Sarker, Resident Medical Officer of Sadar
Hospital Dr Sheikh M Sultan Ahmed, Medical Officer of CS office Dr Al-
Mahmudul Alam, Senior Health Education Officer Chowdhury Abdullah Shams,
Health Inspector Abdul Hannan, Technical Support Officer of PROYAS project
Keshab Chandra, leprosy patients Shamim Miah and Swapna Begum.
The speakers underscored the need for creating much awareness among the
people about leprosy, finding out the leprosy patients and then bringing them
under free treatment facilities to build a leprosy free society.
Earlier, consultant of chest diseases clinic Dr. Nazmul Huda made a
welcome speech and said leprosy is not a curse and it is like any other
diseases. At present, leprosy has become a completely curable disease in all
stages if the patients are taken under proper and regular treatment
programme, he said.
The loss of touch, pain and temperature sensations in the skin, loss of
movement or paralysis of the muscles and loss of sweating and absence of
itching are the early signs of leprosy which mainly spreads through the air,
he concluded.
A large number of health officials and staff, NGO activists and leprosy
patients including journalists took part in the programme.
Apart from it, leprosy disease detecting campaigns by the community base
organisations formed by the leprosy patients were also held at other six
upazila headquarters of the district marking the day under the project of
Mobilization and Empowerment of People with Disabilities of TLMIB, said area
development officer Sariful Islam.