Govt targets 37,000 leprosy case detections to speed up elimination

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is stepping up efforts to identify an estimated 37,000 undiagnosed leprosy cases to enable early treatment and accelerate the country's leprosy elimination target.

"We aim to increase the detection rate from the current 14,000 to 37,000. The estimate is 37,000, if we only detect 14,000, the rest will still be infectious," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Friday.

To encourage case detection, his office will reward community health centers (Puskesmas) with the highest number of identified leprosy cases during this year's National Health Day in November.

The first, second, and third winners will receive Rp100 million (US$5,379), Rp75 million (US$4,034), and Rp50 million (US$2,689), respectively.

Several regional heads have also signed the Commitment to Accelerate Leprosy Elimination, reaffirming their support for eliminating the disease and ending the stigma surrounding it.

Sadikin explained that leprosy and tuberculosis (TB) are caused by bacteria from the same genus, Mycobacterium. Similar to TB, leprosy is a curable disease.

"The difference is that leprosy is less contagious than TB. It is much harder to transmit, and once a patient starts treatment, the disease is no longer contagious," he continued.

The minister mentioned that for close contacts of people with leprosy, the bacteria can be prevented by taking Rifampin to prevent infection.

According to him, the most effective way to eliminate leprosy is through early detection and treatment. He added that the disease is also relatively easy to recognize.

"If you notice light-colored patches on the skin that feel numb when pricked, that's leprosy," he said.

Furthermore, the minister lauded the work of the Sasakawa Foundation for its support in leprosy elimination efforts in Indonesia.

On the same occasion, Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian conveyed that leprosy elimination must become a regional priority, as health and education are the main capital for productivity for national development.

Karnavian addressed that eliminating leprosy is less challenging than tackling COVID-19, stressing that success depends on strong political will and commitment.

"So, regional leaders cannot expect to advance their regions if their people are neither healthy nor educated," he said.

Therefore, President Prabowo Subianto is paying close attention to these two areas, such as through Sekolah Rakyat (Public School), community health centers, and Free Health Checks (CKG), Karnavian noted.

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Translator: Mecca Yumna, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Editor: Azis Kurmala

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