Asuquo Fred, a 22-year-old former male patient of the Leprosy Hospital in Akwa Ibom State, said he lost one of his limbs to leprosy. He is now free of the disease and is undergoing training in the artificial limbs section of the hospital. He added that he has been at the facility for over five years.
Another patient at the hospital and mother of five from Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of the state, simply known as Agnes, said her husband drove her away from home when he discovered she had leprosy.
Agnes said, “My husband sent me out of the house and took my children from me. He went ahead to marry another wife and does not allow me to see my children.”
Leprosy, which is also known as Hansen’s Disease, is caused by a slow-growing type of bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. The disease affects mainly the skin and the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord and may also affect the eyes and the tissue lining the inside of the nose.
Undetected or untreated leprosy cases can lead to its spread, medical experts have said.
Leprosy is spread by droplets through sneezing or inhaling the bacteria from an infected person.
According to the Medical Superintendent of the Leprosy Hospital in Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Afia Afia, untreated cases of leprosy pose danger to communities where they are found.
Speaking with our correspondent at the hospital, Dr. Afia said leprosy was curable, slowly contagious and had an incubation period that could span 21 years.
He said once the patient was treated and cured, the person could not transmit the disease, adding that immediately treatment commenced in newly detected cases (between 48 to 72 hours) the patient could not infect anybody again.
He, however, said the problem had always been that a small proportion of leprosy patients did not access treatment; which was free. Many of them shy away from treatment for fear of stigmatisation thereby becoming a danger to the community.
Dr. Afia said the hospital had an average of five leprosy cases a month, adding that the disease had been discovered to be rampant in the Annang speaking areas of the state, but that no reason had been identified for its prevalence in those areas.
“The earliest sign of leprosy is a patch on your skin. A patch that is lighter than your normal complexion. That should raise serious suspicion especially if you are from the area that I have talked about. And there is loss of sensation on the patch, you don’t feel anything. Once you have that, know that it is leprosy. Other symptoms could be numbness or you feel weak in your limb. You notice that you cannot do the things you used to do easily, and you have eruptions all over your face,” he said.
He said sensitisation programmes were aired on radio and television regularly and called on persons affected to come out for treatment before it begins to eat away at their fingers and toes.
He added that when left untreated, it might eventually lead to amputation of limbs.
The medical expert called on people to stop stigmatising leprosy patients and their children, saying that anybody could become a victim.
He said, “Leprosy is curable and children of leprosy patients don’t automatically have leprosy. It is not transmitted through the placenta or given at birth. No! Leprosy is transmitted from person to person. Untreated patients are the ones that can infect you. Even at that, you need to be in contact for a very long time. The incubation period can be as long as 21 years, it is slowly contagious and it is believed to be by droplets; maybe sneezing and inhaling the bacteria.
“Once the patient is treated and is cured, he or she does not transmit it. In fact, if you have a new case now, immediately you start the treatment, in 48 to 72 hours, that patient cannot infect anybody anymore. The problem has always been the small proportion of them that have not accessed treatment; they remain untreated and continue to be a danger to the community,” Dr. Afia added.
He said the hospital received an average of five cases a month and that they observed that most of their patients, and the new cases were from the Annang speaking local governments: Etim Ekpo, Ukanafun, Oruk Anam, Abak, Essien Udim, and Ika.
“We still have some from other local governments: Mkpat Enin, Ibiono Ibom and Ikono, but not as much as we receive from the Annang speaking areas. We have not been able to pin what is responsible for leprosy in these places,” he added.
Most leprosy cases are treated with antibiotics and the type and length of administration depends on the classification of the disease.
Symptoms
•Muscle weakness
•Skin lesions that have decreased sensation to touch, temperature, or pain.
• Disfiguring skin sores, lumps, or bumps.
That do not go away after many weeks or months.
•Nerve damage
That can lead to:
• Loss of feeling and numbness in the hands, arms, feet
Prevention
The best way is to avoid long-term, close contact with an untreated, infected person.
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