GULARIYA (Bardiya), Jan 31: A total of 120 new patients of leprosy have been found in the district, the District Public Health Office (DPHO) said. The revelation was made during a campaign to eliminate leprosy in the past eight days alone (the campaign started on January 23).
Of the patients including three children, 27 are classified as multibacillary leprosy (MB) and the rest 90 as paucibacillary leprosy (PB), the DPHO said.
Patients showing negative smears at all sites are grouped as PB while those showing positive smears at any site are grouped as MB.
Leprosy on rise in Jhapa
The number of leprosy patients taking drugs has reached 240 in the district so far, the DPHO said. Banke tops the districts having leprosy patients.
The government with the aim to eliminate the disease by 2020 has launched a campaign to seek and treat patients of leprosy in Banke and Bardiya. RSS
