East Java has More Leprosy Patients than Other Indonesian Provinces

Jakarta, (Antara) - East Java is a province with relatively more number of leprosy patients as compared to other provinces in Indonesia.

According to the Provincial Health Office, Indonesia has several thousand leprosy sufferers, and 35 percent of them are in East Java province.

Leprosy remains a largely neglected disease, especially in the rural areas of the country, where little is known about it, and many suffer from the stigma and lack of knowledge surrounding the disease.

"The number of registered leprosy patients in East Java in 2014 had reached as much as 4,157 in almost all districts/cities, with a high prevalence rate of more than one per 10 thousand population," provincial Health Office Chief Dr Harsono remarked in Surabaya on Sunday.

According to Harsono, East Java will continue to take steps to reduce the number of leprosy patients in 2017 and hopes that the high figures would be reduced to less than one patient per 10 thousand population.

In 2014, the prevalence rate of leprosy in East Java reached 1.08 per 10 thousand population.

"The yearly decline in the prevalence of leprosy is part of the concerted efforts of various parties, both within and outside the health sector. In addition, community participation, including the people, who have had leprosy, is also the key to success in eradicating leprosy," Harsono explained.

He said the local Health Office has outlined a strategy to implement several steps to eradicate leprosy in 2017, such as by strengthening the commitment of all stakeholders, increasing the capacity of healthcare workers, intensifying early detection of leprosy patients, eliminating stigma and discrimination, as well as strengthening networking service and innovation activities.

"The commitment should be strengthened, with the objective of ensuring that local authorities and all stakeholders lend their complete support to leprosy control efforts in the region in addition to increasing the role of community and religious leaders to realize the goal," he explained.

Leprosy is still prevalent in some areas of Indonesia, despite the infectious disease no longer remaining a mystery and can be prevented and treated through the simple approach of leading a clean and healthy lifestyle.

Cases of leprosy continue to surface in some areas due to the stigma and discrimination against lepers who have been cured, and therefore, health workers have encountered difficulties in reaching out to people living with leprosy to offer treatment.

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health & Human Rights National Commission, the discrimination faced by cured lepers included rejection at schools and workplaces, difficulties in getting jobs, and rejection at health centers.

However, the Ministry of Health has now prohibited the community from stigmatizing and discriminating against the sufferers of leprosy as the disease does not affect an individual's ability to work.

Health Ministry's Contagious Disease Prevention and Monitoring Director Wiendra Waworuntu has stated that leprosy still affected several residents of Indonesia, although the government, through its intervention, had eradicated the disease in 20 of the 34 provinces in the country.

She revealed that in 2015, some provinces had been prioritized for conducting the leprosy eradication program, and this year, it will be implemented in Central Sulawesi and Aceh, and thereafter, in Southeast Sulawesi, East Java, and South Sulawesi in 2017.

Wiendra noted that the program will be conducted in West Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, and Gorontalo in 2018; and in Maluku, North Maluku, North Kalimantan, Papua and West Papua in 2019.

"Leprosy is actually not highly contagious as its incubation period is more than 20 years," Wiendra explained, adding that an individual can contract the disease only through repeated and close exposure to the nasal and oral droplets of untreated lepers.

She remarked that the likelihood of contracting leprosy is five percent from direct contact in a short period of time. Of the five percent, three percent will recover without medication, while two percent will suffer from leprosy and require treatment.

In other words, Wiendra pointed out that if 100 people had direct contact with lepers, only five people were at risk of contracting the disease, while the remaining 95 would remain healthy.

However, she noted that the stigma attached to leprosy is already prevalent in the community. As a result, several people are reluctant to interact with lepers, for instance, to shake hands or simply come face to face.

The main symptom of leprosy is disfiguring skin sores, lumps, or bumps that do not subside after several weeks or months, with the skin sores being pale-colored.

However, without treatment, the disease can lead to permanent nerve damage and muscle paralysis.

Therefore, she emphasized that in future, the Ministry of Health will step up preventive measures to address the cases of leprosy in the country.

Wiendra further expressed hope that early detection efforts would be intensified to speed up recuperation and prevention of the disease.

"The Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) should have conducted early detection of leprosy because it is so simple to do so," she pointed out.(*)