Kathmandu, Jan. 30:The 47th world leprosy day is being observed by organising a variety of programmes throughout the country today.

The programmes include public awareness programmes, distribution of pamphlets, slides show, talk programmes on health and sanitation, publication of articles on leprosy and its treatment, and the like.

Despite the invention of complete cure for leprosy, it is because of outmoded mentality and superstitions that the disease still remains as a public health and social problem in the country.

With the objective of controlling this disease, the government has been providing multi drug therapy service in all 75 districts since 1982.

Some 66,000 leprosy patients in the country have been completely cured so far, while about 19,000 patients are undergoing treatment.

In a message on the occasion, prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has said His Majesty’s Government has launched various programmes with the purpose of eliminating leprosy and appealed to the countrymen to extend their help from their respective places for achieving this goal.

Stating that leprosy patients still exist in our society despite having medicines due to lack of public awareness, the prime Minister noted that it is the duty of us all to identify such patients who are concealing their disease out of superstitions and help them to have treatment.

In a similar message, health Minister dr ram baran yadav noted that in the past 16 years or so, we have achieved unprecedented success in curbing the threat of leprosy.

Prior to the introduction of multi-drug therapy, there were 70 leprosy patients in every 10,000 people in Nepal, but now the number has reduced to a mere eight, he said adding, a total of 66,000 people have been saved so far from being disfigured by the once dreaded disease.

Noting that only one dose of medicine can destroy 99.99 per cent of germs causing leprosy, dr yadav appealed to the people not to hide their disease and have regular medicine at near-by health posts to get cured of it since this is no longer a serious disease.

Health secretary srikanta regmi stated that 98 countries of the world have already been declared leprosy-free countries, but this is still a serious health threat in 12 countries.