Leprosy Mailing List – October 27th, 2007
Ref.: A note of
warning from Pakistan
From: Ahmad
L., Karachi, Pakistan
Dear Dr Salvatore,
I am referring to "A
Note of Warning from Brazil" by Pran K Das (LML October 23rd,
2007).
This is indeed an interesting
observation and frightening too.
Last month I took a time out
from my dermatology clinic and visited leprosy hospital in Karachi and
found three new patients sitting side by side waiting for the doctor. One was a 25-year-old diffuse
lepromatous patient holding a positive laboratory report of
Glucose - 6 - Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency. The second patient was an
upper class middle aged man with leprosy nodules scattered on face and
extremities and a third was a young boy of about 18 years, a
cortisone dependent treated for multiple peripheral neuritis, he was
treated for 6 months by a neurology doctor and was referred to leprosy
hospital by a dermatologist and was probably a BT (borderline
tuberculoid). It was to
my surprise when the doctor showed least concern when asked about
increasing numbers of new patients, he rather told me about the
official verdict that "leprosy has been controlled successfully
and its elimination is on the way".
I admire those leprosy
workers who face the problem, and do not turn their back towards it.
Best regards,
Dr Latif Ahmad
