The Cure
About the Cure:
Curing leprosy is a complex process, as leprosy has social implications as well as being a physical condition. The Leprosy Mission focuses on providing holistic care in order to fully help a patient overcome all aspects of the disease.
“50% of people who have completed treatment for multibacillary leprosy will develop complications after treatment.”
(TLMC partner in Nepal)
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Diagnosis:
Accurate and early detection of leprosy is the best way to prevent negative long-term health and social complications. Unfortunately, detection often happens at a later stage, when the physical indicators and symptoms have persisted for some time. At this point, the disease has begun to destroy the body's nervous system and most of the damage can never be repaired.
Because many cases go unreported it is difficult to collect accurate data about the occurrence of leprosy. In fact, the true prevalence may be six-times greater than has been reported by traditional methods, according to a 2008 large-scale case-finding study in Bangladesh.
Identifying cases earlier could have a dramatic impact on leprosy at the personal level, and for the elimination of the disease generally. With more education of local health authorities and the general population, leprosy could be discovered and treated before it becomes a personal ordeal. |
Multi-Drug Therapy:
Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) is the most common treatment used to destroy the bacterium that causes leprosy. Three separate drugs, Dapsone, Rifampicin and Clofazimineare prescribed together to eliminate leprosy in a patient. The Novartis Foundation provides these three drugs, free of charge, to the World Health Organization (WHO). The medication is then provided to the governments of countries where leprosy is a public health concern.
Patients can have a negative reaction to the Multi-drug Therapy that cures leprosy or to the body’s process of releasing millions of dead bacilli. The process can trigger immunological reactions which might cause serious nerve damage and further disabilities.
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On-going Medical Support and Rehabilitation:
Multi-drug therapy kills the bacterium that causes leprosy, after receiving the treatment a person may be considered “cured," but ongoing care and interventions are needed for life. The nerve damage leaves patients vulnerable to other problems that cause paralysis and loss of sensation that can give rise to wounds and infections and ultimately permanent disabilities. |
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The cost of $396 per cure is based on a sample of our work in our three focus regions: Africa, South Asia (including India) and South East Asia:
- Finding & Diagnosing patients
- Providing medications (non-MDT)
- Monitoring patient reactions
- Surgery (if the resources are available)
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational therapy
- Ulcer care
- Vocational training
- Treatment of painful nerve reactions
- Self-care education
- Community education on leprosy to reduce stigma against those with leprosy
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