Meghalaya: Sparsh leprosy awareness campaign held at Tura

TURA:

Sparsh leprosy awareness campaign (Slac) was held today at Embee Rose Bud High School, Tura, West Garo Hills.

Slac was launched on the occasion of the anti-leprosy day, which is observed annually in memory of Mahatma Gandhi’s selfless efforts and care for the people affected by leprosy.

Addressing the gathering, West Garo Hills, Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh stated that leprosy is a disease that is misunderstood by many resulting in the stigmatisation of the afflicted.

He informed that leprosy does not spread through casual meetings or handshakes and that a very significant fact of the disease was that the incubation period was very high, unlike COVID-19, which is four to seven days.

“COVID does not have a cure but leprosy does and it is completely curable and globally the numbers are drastically declining,” he said.

Senior medical & health officer, Dr B.M.G Momin in her keynote address, said that Slac aims at promoting community participation, to make the community aware of the importance of early detection of leprosy and remove the stigma and discrimination of leprosy in the community.

(Edited by Ladiangti Rani)

ALSO READ:

Also Read: Meghalaya Public Service Commission to announce main examination results soon