Ilocos Region Achieves Leprosy Prevalence Rate Below 1%
SAN FERNANDO CITY — Health officials in the Ilocos Region are advocating for greater public compassion towards individuals with leprosy, emphasizing the disease’s curability and the high recovery rate with proper treatment adherence. During a forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency-Ilocos Region on Friday, Dr. Rheuel Bobis, a medical officer at the Department of Health-Center for Health-Ilocos Region (DOH-CHD-1), reported that the region’s leprosy prevalence rate stands at 0.25 percent, significantly lower than the national average of 1 percent.
According to Philippines News Agency, as of the end of 2023, the Ilocos Region has recorded 132 cases of leprosy, with the majority, 93 cases, identified in Pangasinan. The rest are distributed among Ilocos Norte with 15 cases, Ilocos Sur with 19 cases, and La Union with five cases. The DOH is actively encouraging village health workers and family members of patients to support and ensure the completion of the treatment regimen, which can last from six months to a year.
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease after its discoverer, Norwegian physician Dr. Gerhard Armauer Hansen in 1874, is an infection caused by the slow-growing Mycobacterium leprae bacteria. It primarily affects the nerves, skin, eyes, and the lining of the nose. Dr. Bobis highlighted the importance of combating the stigma associated with leprosy, noting that social ostracization can lead patients to avoid seeking the necessary medical treatment.
He further explained that leprosy transmission is not as simple as direct skin-to-skin contact but requires prolonged and close exposure to respiratory droplets from untreated patients. Dr. Bobis reassured that the disease is not highly contagious, as approximately 97 percent of the global population possesses a natural immunity to the bacterium.
The DOH official also emphasized the availability of free multi-drug therapy medicines at rural health units, city health offices, and other government health centers, underscoring that leprosy is curable with time and adherence to the treatment cycle. “There is a cure to it although it takes time. But after the cycle is finished, we can be sure that the bacteria causing it is dead,” Dr. Bobis stated, aiming to assure the public and encourage those affected to seek and complete treatment.