The Life Renewal Healthcare and Empowerment Foundation says it has discovered two suspected cases of leprosy disease at Sabo, Mokola area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
LIRECAF made the disclosure on Wednesday, in Ibadan after testing a total of 101 residents of the community for skin infections.
Also discovered during the free leprosy test among the inhabitants of the community were four cases of other skin diseases.
The LIRECAF president, Alhaja Jemila Aliyu, said on the occasion that the tests were carried out in a bid to ensure better living standard in Oyo State.
The foundation is working in conjunction with the Damien Foundation, Belgium, Ibadan.
Aliyu explained that the team conducted test for early detection of leprosy, also known as Hansien Disease, a bacterium infection, caused by slow growing mycobacterium known as mycobacterium Laprae, which affects the nerves, skin, eyes, ears and the lining of the nose (nasal Mucosa).
She said that with early diagnosis and treatment, the ailment could be cured, stressing that the symptoms of the disease include discoloured patches of the skin.
The discovered cases had been handed over to the Ibadan North Local Government’s Tuberculosis and Leprosy Supervisor, who was at the testing venue.
Aliyu emphasized that other symptoms are growth (nodules) on the skin, thick stiff or dry skin and painless swelling or lumps on the face or earlobes.
She allayed the people’s fear by saying that leprosy disease could not spread by touching, while the route of transmission is through droplets of an infected person by sneezing or coughing.
Jemila stated that anyone diagnosed with leprosy disease would be attended to by the local government supervisor of Tuberculosis and Leprosy.
She stated that the aim of the foundation was to promote public health by providing intervention that would lead to prevention, control and elimination of Wash related diseases, caused by unclean water sources and open defecation in urban and rural communities.
She said that the foundation was positioned to launch a campaign against Neglect Tropical Diseases, communicable diseases that affect the poor. Commonest among the diseases are lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis); leprosy, soil transmitted helminthiasis and guinea worm disease.
Highlights of the programme was the visitation and advocacy talk, as well as leprosy disease testing which started at the Mokola, Ibadan residence of Alhaji Alli Zunjeru, Seriki Zabo.
