Don’t discriminate leprosy patients–PHO
THE Provincial Health Office (PHO) has assured the public that leprosy cases are minimal and patients are under medical care.
Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman, PHO chief, said 114 persons are on record in Pangasinan to be afflicted with leprosy and all of them are undergoing treatment.
De Guzman stressed that the PHO is sustaining its campaign on the elimination of leprosy and the 114 cases is a small percentage of the province’s almost three million population.
“They are all undergoing treatment and once they have started medication they are no longer contagious but we continue to check on their housemates to see if they manifest symptoms of leprosy and so far, they are not afflicted,” the doctor said during the Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (Pangasinan chapter) forum Thursday.
At the same time, De Guzman urged people with leprosy to come out and seek medical help, noting that health workers in the barangay health centers are also trained to manage such disease.
AWARENESS
She said there is heightened awareness now in the communities that this skin disease is curable and medication is free in the health centers.
The female patient named Grace from Sta. Barbara town, who was erroneously reported by a television network to be suffering from a flesh-eating bacteria which turned out to be leprosy, has been discharged from the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH) last week and will continue to be monitored.
Her treatment takes longer as she is afflicted with Lucio phenomenon, De Guzman said, adding that she is being looked after by the PHO with the help of some dermatologists in Pangasinan.
The other patient in the false report, Alex from Villasis town, was diagnosed with psoriasis and has also been discharged from the PPH.
“Psoriasis is a genetic disease which cannot be cured but we can control its symptoms,” De Guzman explained.
At the same time, De Guzman advised people with skin diseases to avoid swimming in public swimming pool and reminded everyone not to urinate in the pools.
Meanwhile, the campaign in support of the Department of Health program versus the “6S”, or the six common diseases during summer, namely: Sipon at ubo, Suka at pagtatae, Sakmal ng aso, Sunburn, Sakit sa balat, and Sore eyes is being intensified..—Tita Roces
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