Dr Faizul (fifth left) displays the banner for the event with staff of the Health Department and representatives from Samling Group of Companies and Yaw Teck Seng Foundation.
MIRI: Rural areas in Sarawak are always the main cause of leprosy outbreak, recording 15 to 20 cases every year.
Disclosing this, Miri divisional health officer Dr Faizul Mansoor assured that the situation was under control with only two patients seeking treatment at Miri Hospital.
He would not reveal the area affected, saying the Ministry of Health, through the Health Department here would continue to carry out awareness programmes in rural areas to identify the spread and treatment for leprosy.
“Early detection of the disease could save the victim so the ministry concerned should identify the cause to prevent the possible spread,” he told a press conference at his office yesterday.
According to Dr Faizul, since several years ago, the ministry via the department conducted a course on leprosy detection, attended by Village Health Representatives (WKK) from several villages in selected rural areas.
WKK were volunteer groups trained to improve the health status in the villages.
He hoped the trained WKK would work to combat the disease by detecting the early signs and symptoms for referral to the nearest clinic for treatment.
On the ‘2014 State Level World Leprosy Day’, Dr Faizul said they had selected Long Banga in the interior as the centre of the celebration on June 24.
“Among the event that day will be a course on detection of the disease. It will involve WKK from 14 villages around Long Banga who will train the villagers to identify the symptoms and causes,” he added.
The following day, a similar event would be extended to the Penan community in Long Lamai and Long Beruang.
Other activities include medical and dental checkup and health exhibitions.
Dr Faizul said the coming Leprosy Day campaign in Long Banga is the concerted efforts of various agencies — Ministry of Health, Samling Group of Companies, Welfare Department, Village Security and
Development Committee of Long Banga and Yaw Teck Seng Foundation.
Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau is expected to officiate at the opening ceremony of the campaign on June 26.
Dr Faizul appealed to villages in Long Banga and nearby areas to come in full force to support the event and know about prevention.
World Leprosy Day is a yearly affair since 1954 to raise greater awareness among the people on leprosy — the dreaded and infectious disease that causes severe, disfiguring sores on the skin and nerve damage on the arms and legs. Early treatment is important.