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At the Ganga Bringhat Charitable Centre we distribute clothes to poor... | |
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We distribute clothes to the poors and underprivileded and trying for more people.... | |
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We are trying our best to organise medcial camps on regular basis to help... | |
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We have children visiting our Ganga Brijghat centre where we make them play and... | |
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We are helpless at the moment in not been able to provide shelter to the poor... | |
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| Many myths surround the ancient disease of leprosy. Understanding what it is not, is essential to having a clear understanding of what it is | ||
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| LEPROSY |
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| Many myths surround the ancient disease of leprosy. Understanding what
it is NOT, is essential to having a clear understanding of what it is.
• Leprosy is not a curse of god. • Leprosy is not hereditary. No child is ever born with leprosy. • Leprosy is not incurable. Leprosy is a disease like any other disease and is curable at ALL stages. Early detection and regular treatment prevents deformities. Contrary to popular belief, leprosy is one of the least contagious of all the communicable diseases with only 15% to 20% of cases being contagious, and even these can be rendered safe with treatment. It is not totally clear how leprosy is spread although all sources agree that prolonged, close contact is necessary for contracting the disease. Leprosy thrives in conditions of low nutrition, lack of hygiene, and insanitary conditions. Thus in overcrowded slums, the incidence of leprosy is much higher than in other establishments. However leprosy is occasionally contracted by wealthy people as well; unlike the people living in the slums, they can afford the multi-drug therapy to cure the disease at the earliest stages. The bacteria found in the affected parts of all leprosy patients are known as mycobaterium leprae. To date, no 100% reliable anti-leprosy vaccine has been discovered, although considerable research is being done in this area. Mycobaterium leprae attacks the various nervous systems of the body and where these sensory nerves are damaged, the patient loses tactile sensation. The bacteria seems to prefer the body's extremeties and this results in hands and feet being particularly ulnerable to burns and other injuries. Leprosy-affected people lose the sensation of pain and will take a pot off the fire with their bare hands or won't treat cuts to their feet after walking around barefoot all day. Most of them would be unable to afford proper care of the injury even if they did notice it in the first place. Lack of treatment results in damaged tissue that eventually dies. Tragically, this often leaves doctors with no other option than to amputate. Leprosy is first detected by light patches on the skin that are tingling or numb. If treatment is started at this point, the disease will never progress further than this, and the depigmentation and numbness will clear up entirely. A big part of the tragedy of this disease is in the stigma that surrounds it. This stigma is not confined to the uneducated part of the population. Government employees have been known to lose their jobs the moment word leaks out about a "light patch" on their skin. This is the reason that leprosy colonies have prevailed in the past and continue to exist today. Leprosy patients find acceptance amongst fellow sufferers whereas society at large treats them as outcasts. World Health Organization (WHO) |
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