Chennai: There has been a marginal increase in leprosy cases in Tamilnadu every year and a multi-stakeholder approach will be the key to eradicate it, according to Dr Renuka Ramakrishnan, who has been treating leprosy patients for the last several years.
Dr Renuka, citing statistics from the National Leprosy Eradication Program, said 3,077 new leprosy cases were reported in the State in 2018 and it stood at 3,043 cases in 2020.
Stating that there has been marginal increase in cases every year, she observed that a multi stakeholder approach is the key solution and there was an urgent need to create awareness among the people to remove the myth surrounding it.
‘Coordination between government, academia, civil society organisation (CSO), NGOs is the need of the hour and industry and other stakeholders should come together to fight against leprosy’, she added.
Dr Renuka said CSOs and NGOs, who haved close contact with the community should encourage every individual to do âself-examinationâ whenever possible as well as approach the nearest health facility and consult a doctor in case a lesion was found.