Medical council to review eradication programme

“Leprosy eradication is one of the success stories of the public health programme in India,notwithstanding the continuing emergence of new cases from some pockets,” says ICMR director general Dr V M Katoch. “We are trying to revamp the NLEP in two directions to consolidate our gains: one,to specifically target these areas; and second,to ensure that the success we have achieved is not reversed.”

The ICMR has proposed wide areas of research,including studies to examine possible lacunae in the NLEP covering psycho-social,pharmacological,surgical and clinical aspects of the disease. It has called for studies to increase community awareness level about the disease,formulation of newer approaches to reduce the stigma associated with the disease,ensuring early detection and ways to prevent dropouts in treatment.

Dr Katoch says the ICMR is also focusing on ways to control disabilities in leprosy patients. “Leprosy causes nerve damage,which results in disabilities. At this stage of the programme,we are trying to identify ways to recognise early nerve damage in leprosy patients to prevent disabilities,and ways to improve mobilisation of deformities after correctional surgeries,” he says,adding that pharmocological aspects like drug resistance to anti-leprosy drugs and evaluating new drugs for resistant cases will also be studied.

Epidemiological aspects of study will include childhood leprosy in particular and examination of the “changing profile of the disease”. “Since we are focusing on the endemic areas,we will study the transmission routes in these areas and its presence in soil and water in these areas,” Dr Katoch says.

The other points to be covered in proposals are aspects like leprosy relapse,effects of new anti-leprosy drugs,genetic research to identify leprosy susceptibility and new tests to detect the bacteria which causes leprosy from the environment. Research proposals on surgical management of the disease have also been invited.

The deadline for research scientists and doctors to submit proposals,which constitute the final phase of the task force set up to revamp the programme,is December 15.