Chennai, Feb 13 : The Tamil Nadu Health Department on Thursday commenced a statewide leprosy case detection campaign to screen suspected cases. The campaign will continue until February 28 with over 20,000 volunteers conducting intensive door-to-door screenings.

The initiative aims to cover 133 rural blocks and 27 urban areas across 37 districts.

According to Tamil Nadu Director of Health Services, Dr T.S. Selvavinayagan, 18192 searchers will screen residents in rural blocks, while 4,332 searchers will conduct screenings in urban areas over the next two weeks.

The campaign will extend its outreach to schools, colleges, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers, self-help group (SHG) members, voluntary organisations, and government offices.

Leprosy, a communicable disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria, spreads through droplets from coughing or sneezing by untreated individuals. The disease has an incubation period of 5-7 years.

Dr Selvavinayagan stated: 'Leprosy manifests when the infected person's immunity declines. The initial symptom is a hypo-pigmented patch with a loss of sensation on the skin. With early detection, leprosy can be fully cured through multi-drug therapy (MDT).'

He warned that untreated leprosy could lead to complications such as peripheral nerve damage, resulting in deformities of the eyes, hands, and feet. The Leprosy Case Detection Campaign (LCDC) 2025 aims to identify cases early, including hidden cases, and provide prompt treatment.

Dr Selvavinayagan urged the public to cooperate with searchers visiting their homes and to volunteer for screenings. He emphasised Tamil Nadu's potential to eliminate leprosy by 2025. 'Elimination does not mean total eradication. It means reducing the disease to a level where it is no longer a public health problem. There should be no new deformity cases or childhood cases. Rehabilitation for individuals with leprosy-related deformities will continue,' he said.

He said that as a preventive measure, post-exposure prophylaxis with a single dose of rifampicin will be provided where necessary. Additionally, all school children will be screened by public health teams.

The health department advises the public to report any of the following symptoms to searchers for further evaluation and follow-up at Primary Health Centres (PHCs). The likely symptoms are hypo-pigmented skin patches with loss of sensation, inability to close eyes, thickening of earlobes and nodules, weakness or numbness in hands and feet, clawing of fingers and toes, muscle wasting in hands and feet, difficulty holding objects, non-healing ulcers on hands and feet.

The Tamil Nadu Health Department encourages public participation and cooperation to ensure the campaign's success and help eliminate leprosy as a public health concern in the state.

/IANS