NEWSletter 2022_merged

NLEP Newsletter


January - March, 2022









IN THIS ISSUE



 Lead Story

 Best Practices
 Success Stories

 Highlights

 News Around
 Events/ Meetings

 Spotlight/ Picture Gallery

Message





















Shri. Rajesh Bhushan Prof.(Dr) Atul Goel,
Secretary, MoHFW DGHS



The National Leprosy Eradication I am extremely pleased to know that the

Program (NLEP) Started in the year 1983 Central Leprosy Division of Directorate

is one of the key initiative under the General of Health Services has been

umbrella of National Health Mission. From continuing this activity of showcasing the
the year 2016, renewed efforts were latest updates and achievements through
made for actively detecting cases under quarterly newsletter.
the Leprosy Case Detection Campaign

and routine surveillance was This issue includes lead story, best

strengthened by ASHA based practices, success stories, highlights,

surveillance. events/meetings and other important

activities carried out under National
Similarly, quarterly publication of NLEP Leprosy Eradication Program (NLEP)

newsletter is one of prime activity of across the country.

Central Leprosy Division. I am extremely

glad that CLD is bringing out January – It also includes NLEP target set for 75
th
March 2022 issue of NLEP Newsletter. anniversary of Indian Independence.
This newsletter mainly contains the
success stories, best practices carried out This newsletter will be of immense use for

across the country and some glimpses technical initiative purpose, replication of

from Sparsh Leprosy Awareness best practices and other public health

Campaign 2022. experts/stakeholders.

I congratulate CLD and editorial team to I congratulate DDG (Leprosy) and his

come up with this issue of NLEP team for this initiative and wish best for

newsletter. The mentioned best practices future collaborations.

may replicate under NLEP in other states.






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In this issue


Lead Story


 National Leprosy Eradication Program –
perspective and way forward
 Leprosy Cases Detection Campaign

 ASHA based surveillance for leprosy
suspects
 Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign

Upcoming events
Dr. Anil Kumar
Addl. DGHS National Leprosy Congress
(9-11 November 2022) in Hyderabad, India
th
Dear Readers,

I am extremely delighted to announce that Best Practices
the Central Leprosy Division of
Directorate General of Health Services is
bringing out a Quarterly Newsletter. Success Stories

National Leprosy Eradication Program  Role of ASHA in New Case detection during
started with an objective to eradicate the Pandemic
leprosy from India and make a Leprosy
Free nation.  Prevention of Disability due to Leprosy
Camp on 9 December 2021, Ambikapur
th
In this context, this newsletter is very Chhattisgarh
helpful and guiding platform to make our
stakeholders update about the activities Highlights
carried out under NLEP.
 HFM Review
This issue of the NLEP Newsletter
comprises lead story, best practices,  NLEP Activities – Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav
success stories and other important
events of NLEP.
Spotlights/Gallery
I am certain that this Newsletter will be
helpful for program and upcoming
collaborations under NLEP.











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Lead Story







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120000 106876 99982
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40000
LCDC
20000
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
New Cases Pridicted new Cases

Urgent Need of Case Detection in
Campiagn Mode under NLEP leprosy eradication is adopting a
holistic approach and broaden the
focus of the program in all directions
The leprosy was eliminated as such as urbanization, migration,
a public health problem at the national increased child cases, treatment
level in 2005, the agenda of compliance, and continued stigma and
eliminating leprosy at the subnational discrimination associated with this
level is still unfinished. With crippling disease. Hence, the objective
decreasing prevalence and incidence of leprosy eradication has now shifted
worldwide, adequate capacity from reducing the prevalence of
and competence building in leprosy registered cases to reduction in the
control is essential for making the absolute number of new cases
world free from leprosy. However, detected and to reduce the G2D
sustainable quality anti-leprosy among them.
services would be a challenge, as the
problem gets reduced in number when Acceleration toward leprosy-
compared to other public health issues free status requires creating
in the country. awareness in communities, social
Having already approached the mobilization, working together with
year 2022, the country is still far away partners, and engagement of sectors
from achieving the status of leprosy- other than health. It is essential to
free India. With a view to accelerate have an excellent disease surveillance
the progress under NLEP, there is a linked with appropriate responses as
felt need to strengthen active case we progress. Implementation needs to
detection, treatment compliance, be regularly monitored and
quality surveillance, routine readjustments should be made after
monitoring, and supervision in order to periodic assessments. Generation of
ensure 100% reporting and evidence is essential as well as
management of leprosy-affected sharing of good practices so that they
persons in the country. Now, in the may be adopted widely.
current scenario, However, due to many reasons
including the COVID-19, significant

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decline in leprosy case detection has disability cases from 2016 onwards.
been observed during 2020-21 and
2021-22. If cases are not detected ASHA based Surveillance for
early, it leads to progression of leprosy Leprosy Suspects (ABSULS)
disease into Grade2 disability. Case
detection in campaign mode will curtail In the year 2017, ASHA Based
the current situation in India. Surveillance for Leprosy Suspects
(ABSULS) was introduced to
Further, the focus of NLEP is strengthen the routine case detection
also given to dispel misconceptions and to address the need for quality
around leprosy and improve surveillance for leprosy in the
knowledge of the community about community.
leprosy, which will encourage
voluntary reporting of those affected to Under this initiative, an
get early treatment and defeat the Accredited Social Health Activist
disease before it causes any form of (ASHA)/locally recruited community
disability. health worker will visit door-to-door on
routine basis to identify the suspects.
Leprosy Case Detection Campaign They submit the report by end of the
(LCDC) month. The information submitted by
ASHAs is compiled by supervisors and
The Leprosy Case Detection submitted in hierarchy which is
Campaign was introduced in 2016 as a validated through field visits by health
flagship activity.it was need of the system functionaries at each level in
programme to detect the hidden cases hierarchy. This active surveillance by
in the community. It is being the community itself and validation
implemented in high endemic districts even of nil cases by health system is
of the country, in line with Pulse polio the gold standard to ensure early
campaign. after successful detection of leprosy cases in routine
implementation of the LCDC the mostly without disability.
needed revisions were made in the
guidelines based on the inputs from The Central Leprosy Division is
various experts. in process to strengthen the ABSULS
The campaign mode of case activities.
detection has given good result in early
case detection of hidden cases which
intern prevented the more than 30,000
























Impact of Innovations (LCDC, ABSULS, FLC and Plan for Hard to reach areas) 4

Sparsh Leprosy Awareness
Campaign (SLAC)
To address the challenges of
any existing stigma and discrimination
on account of leprosy, a nationwide
campaign called Sparsh Leprosy
Awareness Campaign was introduced
on the occasion of Anti-leprosy day in
the year 2017. This is theme based
campaign, in which a different theme is
introduced every year by Central
Leprosy Division and nationwide
message on leprosy awareness is
spread through print and other media.
During Sparsh Leprosy Awareness
Campaign, nationwide Gram Sabhas
will be organised in cooperation and
coordination with allied sector of health
department/ministries i.e. Panchayati Despite Covid-19 pandemic, the
Raj Institutions, Rural Development, campaign was celebrated across the
Urban Development, Women and Child country on 30th January 2022 as an
Development and Social justice and annual activity of Central Leprosy
Empowerment etc. Furthermore, the Division (CLD). This is one of the
IEC activities for leprosy elimination run remarkable achievement for CLD.
for a fortnight. SLAC glimpses can be viewed in
The percentage of villages spotlight/gallery section
covered in the year 2020 – 21 is 77.85.































Anti-Leprosy Day messages are hosted
in Ministry of Health twitter official
account to reach the leprosy
awareness through social media
platform.


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Webinar: Role of health professionals at the grassroots level






on 20 January 2022, Webnair was combating leprosy said that a
th
conducted by Sasakawa, the WHO leprosy-free India was not very far
Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy off.
Elimination and Chairman of the
Nippon Foundation, was speaking To watch webinar may visit :
at a webinar ‘Raising Awareness Webinar video available now #4-1 :
about Leprosy, Role of Health Raising Awareness about Leprosy
Professionals at the Grassroots ~Role of Health Professionals at the
Level’ organized by the Sasakawa Grassroots Level - Sasakawa Leprosy
Leprosy Initiative. (Hansen’s Disease) Initiative
(sasakawaleprosyinitiative.org)
Dr. Anil Kumar, Addl. DG, MoHFW
was invited by the foundation to
deliver a speech on Good practices
in Case-finding in India amid the
COVID pandemic.
He spoke about good practices in

















































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Best Practices










































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Madhya Pradesh


On 30th January 2022, anti- Similarly, the leprosy awareness
leprosy day was celebrated by message ‘maine bhi sankalp kar liya
organising Mehandi Competitions kushtha mukta bharat ka’ was printed
among school going girls in the district on key chain to spread the leprosy
of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
awareness.




























































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West Bengal






ASHA-r-Katha the initiative of DHS & SLO, West
Bengal. Information regarding
SLAC activities are being carried Leprosy was disseminated from FM,
out actively in the entire state every RADIO over entire SPARSH fortnight
year with mobile IEC Vans, IEC by the IEC wing of Health & FW, Govt.
activities at local levels by district of West Bengal
authorities over the fortnight. This year
on 26 January, 2022 a special IEC
initiative, ASHA-r-Katha was aired
from AIR, AKASHBANI, Kolkata with













































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Maharashtra






Active surveillance (door-to-
door) was suggested by Dr. Vijay
Bhagat (Dy. Director, CLTRI) for
detection of new cases in the high
transmission (hot spot) area of the
Palghar District of Maharashtra during
his monitoring visit. Considering this
recommendation, an active
rd
surveillance was conducted on 23
th
and 24 December 2021 in 61
villages/hamlets of this difficult to
reach area by 19 teams having 38
members with four supervisors. The
survey was conducted by the
integrated efforts of Non-Medical
Supervisors, Non-Medical Assistant,
Leprosy technician, Paramedical
Worker, staff from ALERT-India, PHC-
Health Assistant along with male and During the survey, a total of 20 new
female health workers of PHC, ASHA leprosy cases (3 MB and 17 PB)
and their Supervisors. The Ashram including 2 children (1 MB & 1 PB) were
schools, Primary and Secondary diagnosed and put on MDT. All the
schools were also surveyed by these cases were detected in early stages
teams. There were 3471 individuals before developing any deformity.
screened by the teams in 1433 Awareness of prevention & treatment of
households, also 583 children were leprosy and alleviation of stigma &
screened in 5 schools
discrimination was created among the
community & school children. Dr.
Sandeep Gadekar (ADHS-Leprosy),
Dr. Yogesh Suralkar (DNT-MO), Dr.
Kiran Patil (MO), Dr. Ashish Pagare
(MO), Sh. Vijay Ingle (NMS), Sh. Arun
Kumkar (NMS) played crucial role in
this activity. This coordinated team
effort of NLEP, PHC Staff, NGO partner
and CLTRI has set a success story in
identifying the early cases and
preventing the transmission as well as
deformities due to leprosy.







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Karnataka







Active Case Detection and Regular Mode of communication like Radio and
Surveillance for Leprosy 2021-2022 as Television talk programme created
been implemented for the year 2021- awareness in the community.
2022
As prelude to the survey trainings were
given to ASHAs & FLW’s and emphasis
was give for quality survey
























































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Success Story




Ms Anju Sharma, ASHA of Shahdra delay in diagnosis and treatment of
District, New Delhi participated in an leprosy cases could result in
international Webinar: webinar development of disabilities. She had
on “Don’t forget leprosy: Role of to sanitize her hands after
health professionals at the grassroots examination of each of the female
level” organized by Sasakawa Health members of the household. She often
Foundation, Tokyo on January 20, came across Covid suspects who
2022 (15:30 India time). She shared were referred of confirmation of
the challenges faced in Active Case diagnosis. She was always at risk of
Search and Regular Surveillance contracting Covid but she ensured all
activity under National Leprosy precautions and continued her work
Eradication Programme, during the for leprosy.
Covid pandemic. Screening of people
for leprosy was continued during the
pandemic following Covid protocols as






















































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for self-care nor for reconstructive
Pushpa, a leprosy cured person with surgery. She somehow manages her
Grade 2 Disability affecting both her daily chores and looks after the baby,
hands, in her late twenties, is a first but her biggest concern was not being
time mother to a 6 month old baby boy able to feed her little one from her own
(born 10 years after marriage). She is hands
married to a farming family of Special Leprosy Project in Chhattisgarh
Devgadh village of Ambikapur in with an objective of providing quality
Chhattisgarh, where no one has a leprosy care and referral services
previous history of Leprosy in the implemented by NTD WHO, with the
area. A frontline worker first suspected help of Ambikapur District Leprosy Unit,
leprosy and referred her to PHC with organized prevention of disability camp
a complain of two of fingers of her in December 2021, targeting cured
hand getting claw deformed. She had patients with disability. The patients
no other skin lesions or symptoms on were provided with self -care kits, self-
her body. She consumed prescribed care demonstration and IEC material.
Multi Drug Therapy which stopped the The reconstructive surgery eligible
progression of the disease but her patients were identified and linelisted
both hands became claw deformed for rehabilitive surgery. Owning to this
and was not able to perform her daily intervention, patients like Pushpa can
work. She never visited any health have access to quality rehabilitative
facility after completing leprosy services and hope of leading an able
treatment. She was neither counseled life with her family.

















































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NLEP Activities – Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

Country is celebrating the completion of 75 years of Independence. In connection with

su ch celebrations, each division of MoHFW has been assigned some key activities.




The following three activities have been decided under NLEP as below:










































































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Upcoming Events








st
21 International Leprosy Congress (ILC) is going to be held from 9-11 November 2022 in

HITEX convention and exhibition centre, Hyderabad in which Central Leprosy is an official


partner. For further details about event may visit the below link

ILC INDIA 2022 (ilc-india2022.com)





































15

Spotlight






















Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign has been celebrated in

Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh


















Awareness and Screening camp at Bagimara high school,
Shepahijala dist. Tripura





16

Mega health Camp at Majai, east Khasi hills Dist.
Meghalaya (Screening and Awareness)





















ASHA training on NLEP in Pondicherry







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Letter to Editor







Dear Readers, we welcome you all in this NLEP Newsletter of January – March 2022 issue.

Kindly let us know in case of any suggestions/recommendations from your end. We look
forward for your valuable feedback





Editorial Board

Editorial Advisor
Dr. Sunil Kumar, DGHS, MoHFW

Executive Editor
Dr. Anil Kumar, DDG (Leprosy), MoHFW

Editorial Board
Dr. V. Santaram, Dr. Vijay Bhagat, Dr. Bisworanjan Dash,
Dr. Rashmi Shukla, Dr. Vivek Lal

Editorial Coordinator
Dr. Diplata N, Dr. Vijay Dhange, Dr. Radhay Shyam,





Address
740 A, Central Leprosy Division (CLD), Directorate General of Health Services
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Government of India
Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi














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