Leprosy in Nepal – striving for a leprosy-free community

Over the next week (7 to 11 April) INF’s Shining Hospital in the Nepali district of Surkhet is hosting two outreach camps designed to detect and treat the early signs of leprosy. Thanks to UK supporters – men, women and children from all over western Nepal will have the opportunity to be checked and treated in a safe, supportive environment.

Specialists in treating leprosy

All three of INF’s Shining Hospitals specialise in, and have a long history of, successfully diagnosing and treating leprosy. Shining Hospital Surkhet is well placed to serve some of the country’s worst-affected districts, where the prevalence of the disease remains high. Without treatment, leprosy can result in deformity and disability.

Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent leprosy-related disability

These outreach camps are part of a three-year project at the hospital to ensure accurate, early diagnosis and prevent long-term complications with immediate treatment. Alongside the camps, your support has enabled INF to fund the training of government healthcare workers responsible for taking and analysing the skin samples that will inform a diagnosis. Together, these interventions will help to diagnose leprosy early, treat it effectively, prevent disability and halt the spread of the disease.

Helping those most at risk of leprosy in Nepal

Families living in western Nepal face extreme poverty; many are already excluded from society as members of the lowest caste. As a result, their health, sanitation and education suffer. Contracting leprosy and dealing with the long-term complications the disease can bring only serves to compound their problems. They may no longer be able to work and they will face the social stigma that accompanies leprosy and disability in these remote regions of Nepal.

Specialist clinics and camps such as these – where people feel safe to ask for help – are a crucial part of the fight to eliminate the disease.