Despite being certified as a leprosy-eliminated country, Bhutan is still reporting a few cases of leprosy. According to data from the health ministry, while the numbers reported at the national level is as not alarming, some districts have been recording concerning numbers of leprosy cases in the past few years. Health officials attribute this to public misunderstanding common symptoms of leprosy to some other mild diseases and failing to seek treatment on time.
Among some districts reporting an increasing cases of leprosy is Lhuentse.
The number of reported cases of leprosy in the district increased from 1 each in 2021 and 2022, to four in 2023.
According to the medical officer in-charge of Lheuntse, it is a concerning number for a district with a population of just around 13,000.
Going by the WHO’s definition, the disease is considered eliminated only if one person in 10,000 people has the disease.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae. It affects the skin and peripheral nerves which can cause permanent disabilities if left untreated. The bacteria are transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth during close and frequent contact with untreated cases. According to the WHO, leprosy is curable with multidrug therapy.
According to health officials, many people misunderstand the common symptoms of leprosy including patches and loss of sensation to some other mild diseases such as rashes thereby, delaying treatment.
“People tend to think that in case of leprosy, there would be missing limbs or big lumps across the body. But now the symptoms have changed. The majority of the cases are like few rashes with complete loss of sensation and in other cases like tingling sensation and enlargement of the nerves. These are quite common now,” said Dr Yeshey Dorji, Medical Officer In-charge of Lhuentse District Hospital.
Some residents of Lhuentse, BBS talked to, say that this misunderstanding seems to have stemmed from the public misconception that the country has zero cases of leprosy after achieving the leprosy-eliminated status.
At the national level, the health ministry reported 36 leprosy cases in the last three years.
Health officials say the cases are being reported despite interventions. As part of the leprosy control programme, the ministry carries out contact tracing and awareness campaigns.
Bhutan was certified as a leprosy-eliminated country by the World Health organization (WHO) in 1997.
According to the UN health agency, leprosy is reported from all the six WHO regions, with the majority of annual new cases being detected in the South-East Asia.
Namgay Dema
Edited by Phub Gyem
