Janeiro Roxo: The Brazilian Society of Dermatology warns of the importance of diagnosis and treatment of leprosy and the risks of underdiagnosis
Stigma and difficult access are barriers to diagnosis
Also in the nineteenth century, the Norwegian doctor Gerhard Armauer Hansen, a public health researcher, managed to identify the bacillus that causes leprosy, which already centuries ago brought prejudice, segregation and was called leprosy, in a pejorative tone. Because of the surname of the researcher, the disease was called leprosy. Nearly 150 years later, health professionals are still fighting back by promoting awareness campaigns and media actions to demystify leprosy. The disease is not contagious in the way it defended itself in the past, by isolating and segregating people. Its early identification prevents damage to nerves and movements and, dispelling yet another myth, the disease is present in different sections of society and not only in the poorest places and without basic sanitation. The health problem is considered a disease, generated by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria transmitted by person with the transmission form and without treatment. Any individual can be affected. In some stages already installed in the body, there is a change or loss of sensitivity to heat and cold, pain, muscle weakness in the limbs and even vision impairment. World Leprosy Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of January. But the campaign of the Brazilian Society of Dermatology (SBD) has just been launched to alert the population.
Doctors point out that it is common for people with leprosy not to feel their skin burn, even with the strong heat of the fire in areas with spots on the body, hands or feet, but they may also feel some sort of little jolts and stings in the initial lesions. . “For this reason it is essential that the family pay attention, respect and also listen to the complaints by going to ask for help, as well as reading reliable sources on the disease. Today the reach of social networks is immense and that is why we will be talking extensively about the topic in different channels”, emphasizes Dr. Egon Daxbacher, from the Leprosy Department of SBD. The campaign will be featured in January on SBD’s social media, media and social media.
Leprosy has a worrying picture in Brazil. In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, they were notified, according to the Leprosy Epidemiological Bulletin of the Ministry of Health 27,864 new cases of Hanseníase, equivalent to 93% of all cases in the Americas region and 13.7% of global cases registered in the year.
Over the years, the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to put public and private health systems to the test, delaying and complicating the diagnosis of complex and above all neglected diseases, such as leprosy, treated for centuries with the stigma, which often people looking for help.
In 2020, 127,396 new cases of the disease were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). With 19,195 (15.1%) in the Americas region, 17,979 reported in Brazil, or 93.6% of the number of new cases in the Americas. Brazil, India and Indonesia have reported more than 10,000 new cases, corresponding to 74% of new cases detected in 2020. Brazil ranks second among the nations with the highest number of cases in the world, behind only India.
The Ministry of Health’s Epidemiological Bulletin published this year on the disease reported preliminary data for 2021, which indicated that Brazil diagnosed 15,155 new cases of leprosy. Representative drop, compared to other years, such as 2019. This situation was linked to the pandemic, with the closure of services and access to diagnosis. “This is our concern. Advance, lead, give access to treatment, make people aware of symptoms and heal, before serious damage occurs, such as when the disease reaches the nerves and impairs movement. Our campaign clarifies in a clear and educational way,” emphasizes Daxbacher.
The president of SBD reiterates the importance of clarification
“Leprosy can be anywhere, even in your home, this is the appeal of the campaign that we launched this purple January, alerting the entire population. The patient who starts treatment does not transmit the disease, nor does he need to be isolated, much less stigmatized. We inform you that going to a basic health facility or to the dermatologist to whom the person usually goes, in the case of areas of the body with numbness, dark spots with red, whitish or brownish tones, which cause loss of sensitivity of the skin, it can indicate the presence of the disease, allowing for diagnosis and treatment in its early stages,” guides the president of the SBD, Heitor Gonçalves. The Unified Health System (SUS) provides free treatment for the disease.
