Quito, January 30, 2023
World Leprosy Day is commemorated every January 29, in response to this, the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) seeks to raise awareness about this condition and reduce the stigma against those who suffer from it. In the year 2022, a total of 63 people with leprosy were identified in the country.
Of the identified cases, 13 are women and 53 men. Two of them with 15 years of age and 61 people between 17 and 91 years of age.
Patients receive treatment and medication free of charge. In addition, clinical assessment, corresponding laboratory tests and follow-up.
Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, also known as Hansen’s bacillus. The bacillus reproduces very slowly and the average incubation period and onset of signs and symptoms of the disease is approximately five years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
It is transmitted by contact with bodily fluids from the nose and mouth of untreated sick people. It mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. Being a curable disease, treatment in the early stages can prevent sequelae such as deformities, mutilations, disability and even blindness.
The MSP permanently searches for people who suffer from this disease, with the aim of carrying out a comprehensive evaluation of their health, administering the correct and timely treatment. Curing the disease avoids consequences that affect people and their families.
The Leprosy Control program, whose work is carried out through the MSP’s National Directorate of Prevention and Control Strategies for Communicable Diseases, dates back to 1962. Its activities are framed within the guidelines of the World Health Organization ( WHO) for the optimization of existing tools, such as contact tracing, active case finding, post-exposure prophylaxis and the provision of health services to interrupt transmission.
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