The world health organization warned to seriously treat leprosy

A 24 in the world health organization (WHO) international leprosy summit, said over the past two decades, the global fight against leprosy has made great progress, but if there is complacency, could threaten the global last efforts to eliminate leprosy.
24 to 26, the world health organization (WHO) and the Japanese consortium in international leprosy summit held in Bangkok, Thailand, eight countries of the minister of health and the global experts in this field together, discuss the current global leprosy, and further reduce the disease's strategy, and finally to eliminate the disease worldwide. 24, the meeting also published the "Bangkok declaration", clear who and partners in order to eliminate leprosy work need to do further.
According to who figures, leprosy is a chronic disease, with a rod acid bacillus (i.e., m. leprae) cause. The disease mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves and upper respiratory tract mucous membrane and eye. Leprosy is curable and early treatment can avoid disability. Ancient civilizations such as China, Egypt and India for leprosy have know earlier. Since 1995, all patients all over the world who offer free combination chemotherapy, effective cure 16 million people. Leprosy endemic countries decreased from 1985 countries in 1985 there are fewer than 20 countries. In 2012, the global report new cases, 230000 cases of leprosy, 94% concentrated in 15 countries such as southeast Asia and Africa. At present, China has yet to the eradication of leprosy.
However, increasingly complex challenges facing elimination of leprosy. Now focused on patients with city slums, border and minority areas, living in poverty, the medical treatment difficult. At present, in many countries, the new disease leprosy incidence appeared stagnation and even rising trend. Every two minutes there is a global new cases of leprosy, 7 as a child. Wrong understanding of leprosy and fear is still very common, some patients after recovery still be rejected by the society.
The world health organization (WHO) southeast Asia regional director for the Sam? Pooley AnBangChang Dr Said: "the challenge now is to keep the treatment of leprosy health care's quality and to ensure that all patients receive timely and effective treatment, to safeguard the rights and interests of patients. Reduce leprosy have a lot of work to do, no time for complacency, final effort must win against leprosy."