TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As of 1 July 2017, Lebak Health Agency has found nine new cases of leprosy and it is expected that the lepers can undergo a six-month treatment regularly.
"We asked the family members and medical officers to monitor the lepers and make sure that the treatment is completely given," head of Lebak Health Office's Contagious Disease Prevention and Environmental Health Affairs dr Firman Rahmatullah said in Lebak, Banten, on Saturday(8/7).
The local government has set the program free from leprosy in 2020 and that is why health officers keep optimizing treatment for the lepers so that leprosy is not transmitted to others.
In addition, health officers also carrying out tracking to locate leprosy cases.
Most lepers refuse treatment from community health center (Puskesmas) because they are ashamed of the illness despite the fact that it is free of charge.
Today, Lebak Regency is not free from leprosy transmission due to the lack of discipline of the lepers in taking the medicine and the lack of clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS) of the people.
"We urge the lepers to follow the medicine taking for one whole year if they wish to be totally cured," he said.
ANTARA