By Ruwan Laknath Jayakody- January 29, 2014 
Sri Lanka – SE Asia’s Leprosy capital
Sri Lanka, with an annual reportage of 2000 cases of Leprosy (7%) has recorded the highest number of persons who suffer from the disease in the South-East Asian region, the Director of the Anti-Leprosy Campaign, Dr. M.L.S. Nilanthi Fernando, told Ceylon Today.
In 2013, of the 177 cases of children below the age of 15 detected as being afflicted with the disease, 134 were reported as having some form of deformity at the time of diagnosis, she said.
Official statistics reveal that in the last 24 years, there has been an increase of 2,000 new patients per year; however, in 2013, there were as many as 2,032 patients who were diagnosed as being afflicted with the disease.
"In the South-East Asian region, as of 2011, the average deformity rate was 0.39% per population of 100,000. The Sri Lankan percentage for the same year (2011) was reported as being 0.7%. The Western Province remains the highest endemic area, posting 44%, with the Colombo District recording 438 patients while there are 11, high endemic districts in the island," Dr. Fernando added. Declining living standards and over-population are the chief factors for the rising trend, she said.
The leprosy bacillus affects the skin and the nerves. When the skin gets affected, patients develop patches; when the nerves get affected, the person has loss of sensation, thickening of nerves and the paralysis of hands, feet and eyes. These symptoms are considered as deformities. Commenting further, Dr. Fernando, said: “The aim is to reduce the percentage to 0.3%. As many as 20% of the patients do not complete the treatment as they do not take the prescribed course of medication or attend clinics regularly so that the progress of the treatment can be monitored. We have 70 dermatologists, islandwide, including regional epidemiologists, public health inspectors (PHI) attending on leprosy patients, and medical officers of health (MOH) who conduct activities to control the increase in the number of persons being afflicted, by paying home visits, conducting mobile skin clinics, carrying out contact examinations in high endemic areas and in schools, along with public awareness-raising campaigns to educate the masses about the signs and symptoms of leprosy.”
By Premalal Wijeratne- January 29, 2014
The Police Scientific Research Unit is conducting investigations into an incident where an explosion had taken place inside Ward number 1 at Wariyapola Hospital yesterday.
Police said someone had thrown an explosive device into the ward, through a half-opened door around 3 a.m.
Police further said, no patient was injured in the incident and added the police suspect that the explosion is much similar to the explosion of a fire cracker.
Police also suspect that the explosive device had been thrown aiming a patient, who was being treated there.
