Working with our partners to beat leprosy

​Every year we award grants to around 30 leprosy centres across the globe, supporting them to identify and cure new cases so we can beat leprosy for good. Here are just two examples of the excellent work going on with the generous help of the Guild’s supporters.  

Seeking out new cases in Bangladesh
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Dhanjuri Leprosy Control Centre (DLC), in Bangladesh, identifies and treats leprosy patients in the Dinajpur District where there are 13 clinics across the region, providing treatment for local villagers and carrying out a fantastic range of outreach work to detect new cases.
 
For example, in 2019 DLC spent 52 days making public announcements from a decorated rickshaw that visited local markets and other places where the public gather. Approximately, 229,254 people heard these messages and received leaflets as a result, and this led to 1,439 people being examined at leprosy clinics in the region.
 
In just one year, DLC identified a total of 317 new cases of leprosy that could be treated and cured. This was achieved by using a range of education initiatives together with various methods of contact tracing, such as the centre’s Healthy Contacts Check Up. This is an examination of the family members of past leprosy patients. Of the 2,270 family members who were examined over 12 months, 34 new cases of leprosy were found. 

Preventing the spread of leprosy in Mumbai
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In 1976, eminent leprologist, Dr R Ganapati established the Bombay Leprosy Project in the belief that, to beat leprosy, diagnosis and treatment should be conducted in the community rather than focusing solely on hospital treatment. This community approach not only means that leprosy patients can continue to live with their families but it also helps to eliminate the stigma that they frequently endure.
 
Using a network of doctors, paramedics and community health volunteers, the Bombay Leprosy Project serves Greater Mumbai, which includes one of the largest slum districts in Asia. In 2018, using house-to-house and school surveys, and community awareness programmes, the project detected 53 new leprosy cases in Mumbai, and a further 108 in rural communities outside the city. These people are now receiving free multi-drug treatments to help cure them of the disease, prevent severe, life-changing disabilities and to halt its transmission to other members of their communities.
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