| By Keeran DannyEven though leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is not widespread in Guyana, the Leprosy Control Programme under the Ministry of Health plans to hold a three-day workshop to train doctors and nurses to identify such cases that seek medical assistance at regional hospitals and health centres.Dr. Heather Morris-WilsonThis was made known by Dr. Heather Morris-Wilson, Head of the Leprosy Clinic, during a recent interview. The Leprosy Clinic, situated at the Palms Geriatric Home, is the only facility where persons infected with leprosy could receive medication free of charge.To identify leprosy cases, Dr. Morris-Wilson and team visit hospitals and health centres in Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and 10. Owing to the geographic location of the other Regions the team has thus far been unable to visit.According to Dr. Morris-Wilson, “Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium. It has a chronic course with very alarming complications if not diagnosed in time”.She related that leprosy is not a threat in this country, and according to the World Health Organization’s standards, Guyana has eliminated leprosy at a national level, i.e. 1 case per 10,000 population. She said that the Leprosy Clinic diagnoses less than 100 new cases per year with cases oscillating from 25 to 35. In 2003,Nike NFL Jerseys China, the clinic recorded 53 cases, which was the highest amount ever.However, the bacteria that causes leprosy multiplies very slowly (every 14-30 days) so it could take years before it manifests itself in an individual. This infectious disease that is mainly spread by droplets via the upper respiratory tract, looks like a common skin problem such as ringworm,Cheap Jerseys, “mad bumps” and even “lotta”. But, even with its various presentations, the most common sign is a rash, lighter than the color of the surrounding skin with loss of sensation,NFL Jerseys China, hence it is termed the “numb spot disease”.Dr. Morris-Wilson emphasized that if a doctor does not think about leprosy when looking at skin rashes, it could go undetected. According to the specialist, leprosy is contagious, especially among family members, if a person that resides in the home is infected and is not on treatment. There are two types of leprosy – mild and severe. The mild type is called paucibacillary leprosy and infected persons are treated for six months. Meanwhile, the severe type, multibacillary leprosy, occurs when persons have high bacterial load and they have to undergo treatment for one year. Leprosy at this stage could be transmitted to the household.“So if you are with a person with multibacillary leprosy, the persons in your household are five to eight times more likely to contract leprosy than the general population,NFL Jerseys 2018,” she said.According to Dr. Morris-Wilson, the longer the infection is undetected, the person is more likely to experience complications, for example,Wholesale Jerseys From China, chronic ulcers of the feet and blindness, because the bacteria has a preference for the peripheral nerves of the body. She asserted,Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic, however, that it is unlikely that a person could die from leprosy.“Imagine this is a bacteria that has affinity for the nerves of the body…so this bacteria may cause damage of one or more of the three different components of the nerve…so if it affects the sensory fibres of the nerve; there is loss of sensation in the innervated skin. If it damages the motor fibre you have weakness and paralysis in the innervated muscle and if the bacteria damages the autonomic component of the nerve that will cause dryness and hypo-pigmentation of the innervated skin,” she explained. |
