What is leprosy and What it Cause?
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease.
It is a chronic infectious disease caused by a slow-growing bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae.
It primarily affects the skin, peripheral nerves, lining of the nose, and eyes.
Mycobacterium leprae is the culprit, a slow-growing, rod-shaped bacterium that primarily targets nerve tissue.
Although leprosy isn't highly contagious, it can spread through prolonged close contact with someone with untreated leprosy, usually through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing.
Early symptoms can be subtle and include pale, painless patches on the skin, numbness in the hands and feet, and thickening of the earlobes.
If untreated, the disease can progress, leading to nerve damage, muscle weakness, and deformities in the hands and feet.
What is multidrug therapy (MDT)?
Multidrug therapy (MDT) is a specific treatment regimen that combines multiple antibiotics to combat infectious diseases caused by bacteria that are prone to developing resistance to single drugs.
MDT utilizes the combined power of two or more different antibiotics with varying mechanisms of action.
This makes it harder for the bacteria to develop resistance to any single drug, as they would need to overcome multiple mechanisms simultaneously.
MDT is primarily used for treating chronic bacterial infections, particularly those caused by bacteria with a high tendency to develop resistance,
Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is notorious for its slow growth and ability to evade the immune system.
MDT for leprosy typically involves a combination of three drugs: rifampicin, clofazimine, and dapsone.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB, can also become resistant to single drugs.
MDT for TB usually involves four drugs: isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol.
New drug regimen for leprosy
The Union government has approved a new treatment regimen for leprosy.
Its aiming at stopping its transmission at the sub-national level by 2027.
A letter written by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said the National Leprosy Eradication Programme is taking all the required steps to stop the transmission of the infection.
Now with the approval of the competent authority, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to introduce a three-drug regimen for Pauci-Bacillary (PB) cases in place of a two-drug regimen for six months.
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