MUMBAI: The BMC has organised a leprosy awareness drive, along with a door-to-door visits and surveys between January 30 and February 14 as a part of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme.
The drive, which will be held in all the 24 municipal wards, will focus on dispelling the misconceptions about leprosy, a contagious disease that affects the skin, mucous membranes and nerves and could lead to disfigurement and deformities. Although India had declared leprosy as an eliminated disease, cases suddenly shot up in 2018-19 in urban pockets such as Mumbai. In 2018, 362 new cases were reported as against 326 in the previous year.
The BMC’s Sparsh awareness campaign will aim to dispel misconceptions about the condition by organizing oath-taking ceremonies at schools and colleges, street plays and screening camps. “In addition, we will also carry out door-to-door visits and surveys,’’ said BMC executive health officer Mangala Gomare.
