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Leprosy persists in health zones of Haut-Katanga (Official)
Published on Thu, 06/02/2025 - 18:46 | Modified on Thu, 06/02/2025 - 18:46
The provincial authorities of Haut-Katanga warned on Tuesday, February 4, of the persistence of leprosy transmission centers in the territories and cities of this province in the South-East of the DRC.
" Our health zones recorded 932 new cases in 2021, 428 in 2022, 493 in 2023 and 417 in 2024, 8% of whom had visible disabilities and 8% of whom were children. These data demonstrate the persistence of disease transmission foci in our province and are evidence of late detection of cases ," said the provincial health minister of Haut-Katanga, Joseph Sambi Bulanda, on the sidelines of the celebration of World Leprosy Day.
On this occasion, he encouraged the entire population to seek early treatment, once symptoms appear on the skin.
He also deplored the stigmatization of those already affected.
" Lack of awareness of the early signs of the disease, namely a lighter spot on the skin, stigma and discrimination, gender-related factors, low coverage of services and poverty are the major obstacles that still limit access to diagnosis and treatment of leprosy despite the guaranteed availability of effective and free treatment in all our health zones ," continued Joseph Sambi.
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Leprosy persists in health zones of Haut-Katanga (Official)
Published on Thu, 06/02/2025 - 18:46 | Modified on Thu, 06/02/2025 - 18:46
The provincial authorities of Haut-Katanga warned on Tuesday, February 4, of the persistence of leprosy transmission centers in the territories and cities of this province in the South-East of the DRC.
" Our health zones recorded 932 new cases in 2021, 428 in 2022, 493 in 2023 and 417 in 2024, 8% of whom had visible disabilities and 8% of whom were children. These data demonstrate the persistence of disease transmission foci in our province and are evidence of late detection of cases ," said the provincial health minister of Haut-Katanga, Joseph Sambi Bulanda, on the sidelines of the celebration of World Leprosy Day.
On this occasion, he encouraged the entire population to seek early treatment, once symptoms appear on the skin.
He also deplored the stigmatization of those already affected.
" Lack of awareness of the early signs of the disease, namely a lighter spot on the skin, stigma and discrimination, gender-related factors, low coverage of services and poverty are the major obstacles that still limit access to diagnosis and treatment of leprosy despite the guaranteed availability of effective and free treatment in all our health zones ," continued Joseph Sambi.
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