Kodagu Zilla Panchayat Assistant Administrative Officer Jeevan recently gathered information regarding the leprosy detection campaign at the Zilla Panchayat office.
Speaking on the occasion, District Leprosy Eradication Officer Dr. Anand N. emphasized the need to create greater awareness about leprosy among the public, as well as among school and college students.
From November 24 to December 9, the Health Department will conduct house-to-house visits to examine the skin and nerves of residents for 14 days, and free treatment will be provided to patients diagnosed with leprosy. Timely treatment can prevent disabilities caused by the disease.
In the district, which has reported the highest number of leprosy cases in the past five years, 17,399 households have been identified in 18 villages across 13 primary health centres. A total of 109 teams have been formed, each comprising one ASHA worker and one male volunteer. There will be one supervisor for every ten teams, with a total of 14 supervisors, Dr. Anand explained.
District RCH officials are conducting meetings with all taluk health officers, district health education officers, and various departments to raise awareness about leprosy. In the absence of ASHA workers, the cooperation of the Women and Child Development Officers has been sought to enable anganwadi staff to assist.
The Deputy Director of the Public Education Department has also been requested to promote awareness through rallies. Cooperation from all departments has been sought to achieve the goal of making Kodagu a leprosy-free district by 2030. On this occasion, Jeevan, Assistant Administrative Officer, requested all departments to extend full cooperation to the campaign.
