13 February Hoshiarpur- As per the directions of Civil Surgeon Hoshiarpur Dr. Pawan Kumar Shagotra and under the able leadership of Leprosy Program Nodal Officer Dr. Robin Sahni, a street play was performed by the artists of 'Bahu Rang Kala Manch' of Shri Ashok Puri at SD College Hoshiarpur today to create awareness about leprosy.
Sharing information about leprosy on this occasion, Dr. Robin said that leprosy is not the result of sins of previous births, but is a disease which is completely curable. Leprosy is spread by a bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae. It is an infectious disease that spreads from one person to another through droplet infection through coughing or sneezing and can occur at any age. We should not discriminate against any person suffering from leprosy, but should help him in every way.
Giving information about the symptoms of leprosy, he said that light yellow copper coloured or red coloured numb marks on the skin are a sign of leprosy. Numbness is caused by the damage of the nerves under the skin. Due to this disease, the nerves become thick and hard. The patient neither feels heat nor cold on the part affected by leprosy. The muscles stop working due to which the body parts get twisted and due to numbness, sometimes these parts get separated from the body due to injury.
But the treatment of this disease is possible and is done absolutely free in government hospitals. Multi Drug Treatment i.e. MDT is a 100 percent cure for leprosy. Deputy Mass Media Officer Dr. Tripta Devi said that leprosy has been divided into low grade or high grade leprosy on the basis of the number of spots.
He said that the major disadvantage of leprosy is deformity or disability of the body. To avoid disability, massaging the body with oil and water does not make the skin dry. Hands and feet should be kept immersed in water for half an hour. The supportive exercises prescribed for the weak parts should be done daily.
If a patient notices any mark on his skin which is numb and is not healing, he should immediately go to the nearest health center and get it checked.