India grapples with massive leprosy infection increase
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India
grapples with massive leprosy infection increase
AFP
July 29, 2012 1:01AM
INDIA accounted for 56 per cent of the world's new leprosy
infections in 2010 despite declaring itself free of the
nerve-destroying disease five years earlier, a report said
overnight.
Of the 228,474 new leprosy cases in the world in 2010, India
accounted for 126,800, S.D. Gokhale, president of the
International Leprosy Union (India), told the Press Trust of India
news agency.
"If the union and state governments do not take serious note of
this fact and initiate effective steps to eradicate leprosy, the
problem will become more acute," Gokhale was quoted as saying.
Leprosy is a curable chronic infectious disease which mainly
affects the skin, peripheral nerves, upper respiratory tract and
the eyes.
The bacteria that causes the disease multiply very slowly and the
incubation period is about five years. Symptoms can take as long
as 20 years to appear.
Gokhale, speaking following a three-day meeting of the
International Leprosy Union in the western Indian city of Pune,
said the leprosy infection figures had been confirmed by India's
health ministry.