Man confines himself for 10 yrs, ends up with Grade-2 leprosy
Mumbai: It took the leprosy team of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) 10 years to reach a 42-year-old Govandi resident, who had confined himself in his house fearing stigma and loss of his hand
Mumbai: It took the leprosy team of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) 10 years to reach a 42-year-old Govandi resident, who had confined himself in his house fearing stigma and loss of his hand. He has now ended up with Grade-2 leprosy – he suffers from visible damage and deformities in his hands and feet, along with severe visual impairment.
He is one of the 81 patients (highest in the city in five years) identified in BMC’s 15-day special leprosy detection drive, which started on September 26.
In 2021, 52 cases were detected, while 2020 revealed 38 cases.
“Every time we tried seeing him in the past, his wife would make some excuse or the other – once she said he had paralysis – and keep us at bay. Consequently, he was missed out in all the earlier BMC drives,” said Swapnadip Jadhav, programme coordinator, of the NGO, Lok Seva Sangam, which focuses on controlling tuberculosis and leprosy, and works with the civic body.
This year, representatives of both bodies along with a community health volunteer and coordinator of the M-East ward, were resolute about meeting the Govandi resident.
“His wife dodged us 10 years ago. We never got to see him in the past,” said Milind Jawale, the coordinator from the leprosy team.
On October 3, the team reached his house at 11am, and the community health volunteer, Chanchal Khade, struck a conversation with the man’s wife and entered their house.
Khade found the man sitting with his hands and legs tucked inside a bedsheet. Early signs of leprosy were visible in his eyes. “He was unable to close his eyes. Khade alerted me about the situation, following which we spent 30 minutes convincing the family to agree to medical intervention,” Jawale said.
A state leprosy doctor visited the patient the same day and confirmed that he had Grade-2 leprosy, which had affected both his legs, hands and eyes. “During counselling, we learnt that he had visited a private practitioner some years ago to show the deformity in his hands; the doctor had suggested amputation. That scared him and he has avoided doctors ever since. His confinement led to the severity of the disease,” said Jawale.
The civic body’s health officials said the patient had shifted to Rafiq Nagar, Govandi, seven years ago. “Before that he lived in a slum in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). He kept changing his address, which made it difficult for us to trace him,” said a health official.
“We convinced him that he will get free medicine; it would also save his wife and 11-year-old daughter from the disease. We dressed his wounds and started his medication,” said the BMC health official. “The deformity is irreversible but we can stop its progress.”
His wife is a household help, while his 18-year-old son works as rickshaw driver and runs a snack stall, selling ragda pattice.
BOX:
HL:
Early signs
Painless ulcers on the soles of feet.
Discoloured patches of skin that may feel numb and look faded.
Growth nodules on the skin.
Thick, stiff or dry skin.
Painless swelling or lumps on the face or earlobes.
Loss of eyebrows or eyelashes.