Dr. Tin Shwe, WHO WPRO Short Term Consultant on Leprosy, Visited Guangdong Province

In order to to gather the information of leprosy situation in high leprosy burden province, World Health Organization, Western Pacific Regional Office sent Dr Tin Shwe, Short Term Consultant in leprosy of WHO, visited leprosy field in Guangdong Province. Accompanied by Prof Zhang Guocheng, Deputy Director General of National Center for Leprosy Control, China CDC (NCLC), Dr Yu Meiwen, Chief of China-NLR Project Office, NCLC, Mr Kuang Jinli, Deputy Director General, Dr. Li Ming, Director of Department of Leprosy Control, and Dr Shi Huanxin, Leprosy Worker of Department of Leprosy Control, Guangdong Provincial Center for Skin Diseases and STD Control, Dr. Tin Shwe visited Longgang District of Shenzhen Municipal and Leizhou County of Zhanjiang Municipal, Guangdong Province from 4 to 9, December, 2009. During the field visit, one Center for Skin Diseases and STD Control at provincial level, one Institute of Chronic Diseases Control at prefecture level, two Stations of Chronic Diseases Control at county level, one leprosy village at county level, two Health Centers at township level, and two Health Posts at village level were visited from December 4 to 9, 2009. During the visit, a total number of 12 active/registered leprosy cases were interviewed and examined, among whom 5 were newly detected cases in 2009, 3 were newly detected cases before 2009 and 4 were relapse cases. During this field visit, the annual statistical report on leprosy of P. R. China for the year of 2008 was also reviewed and leprosy control activities in China were also discussed.

Dr Tin Shwe introduced the global strategies on leprosy recommended by WHO in the past decades and emphasized the new strategies for coming five years (2011-2015). The new strategies will focus on reduction of leprosy burden and the burdens are: 1) Infectious resources in communities; 2) Disabilities related to leprosy; 3) Social economic burden caused by leprosy disability; and 4) Social stigma and discrimination related to leprosy. After field visit and discussion, Dr Tin Shwe showed his interesting in great success in leprosy control in Guangdong Province since Guangdong hold the high number of accumulative leprosy cases in China. Dr Tin Shwe also praised the activities that governments and leprosy workers at various levels had implemented since all the success has contributed to the success of global leprosy control programme.

At the same time, Dr Tin Shwe also made some recommendations for further implementation: 1) To develop innovative health education activities in schools especially in high schools; 2) To study the innovative strategy on social stigma and discrimination reduction, such as health system research on shift “leprosy” to “Hansen’s Disease”. It is also necessary to conduct a health system research on the discrimination and social stigma on leprosy among government officers, leprosy workers, general health workers, leprosy patients and general population in order to find the proper approaches for health promotion; 3) To develop health system research on self care such as self care group in community as well as in leprosy villages; 4) Efforts should strengthen the integration of leprosy services with general health services at all levels and aspects of the programme according to local setting. Involving general health workers into leprosy services should prevent increasing of social stigma and discrimination.