BHUBANESWAR: With Odisha registering prevalence rate (PR) of 1.38 per 10,000 population, leprosy has emerged as a public health issue in the State.
Though the State Government claimed that the Hansen’s disease was eliminated in 2006, it resurfaced in 2014 when 10,645 cases were reported.
According to the statistics, the State has recorded 9,576 leprosy cases in 2018-19 which is down by 469 cases from the previous year. General Secretary of Indian Hansenians’ Association Duryodhan Sahoo said even as the cases are on the rise, the State Government abolished 947 posts of paramedical staff who were supposed to manage such cases.
“The Union Health Ministry has issued an instruction to declare India leprosy free by October 2 without looking into the rising trend of the disease,”he wondered.