Concern On Leprosy Cases

It seems that the goal of maintaining Nepal as a totally leprosy-free nation is not free from challenges. Re-emergence of cases makes it difficult to keep that status permanently. In fact Nepal had achieved the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in December 2009. The disease was declared eliminated in 2010. But the matter of concern is that new cases continue to surface, mostly in the Terai districts. This poses a public health problem for Nepal which the health sector needs to deal with seriously. The reasons of the disease raising its head need to be found out. This requires an extensive research work by concerned experts and the recommendations made by them need to be considered and addressed in a time-bound manner. It might be the open border between Nepal and India or the negligence of the people who are under medication for leprosy that might be behind the case resurfacing. They need to be found out and remedial measures applied on time.