Mozambique: UN concerned about links between drug traffickers, terrorism
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New leprosy cases registered in Mozambique have risen as a consequence of an increase in active leprosy search activities, as well as the reactivation of activities in the community, Radio Mozambique reports.
There were 1,926 new cases registered in 2017 against 1681 registered in 2016 in the 23 endemic districts, located in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Manica, Nampula, Sofala and Zambézia, in the northern and central Mozambique.
The Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organisation for the elimination of leprosy, Mr. Yohey Sasakawa, will make an official visit to Mozambique on July 27 to express his satisfaction with the government’s efforts.
In addition to working with national authorities, he will hold meetings with influential individuals in order to prioritise leprosy control, and will travel to Nampula in northern Mozambique, the province with the greatest number of cases of leprosy, in order to learn about efforts to sensitise local populations in the active search for cases.
Sasakawa and members of his delegation will follow up with senior managers and senior staff from the Ministry of Health (MISAU), the WHO Representative in Mozambique, Dr Djamila Cabral and members of the WHO.
The last time Sasakawa visited Mozambique was in 2007, and a year later, with the support of WHO, non-governmental and community-based organizations, the country declared the elimination of leprosy – meaning prevalence of less than one (1) case and every 10,000 inhabitants.
The Sasakawa Memorial Foundation, a non-governmental and non-profit foundation established in 1962, is one of the largest partners supporting National Leprosy Control Programme activities in Mozambique.
In 2017, MISAU received funding from the Sasakawa Foundation to implement post-elimination interventions at community level in the endemic districts of the central and northern parts of the country, especially for the active search for suspects for early diagnosis and treatment.
Leprosis a skin disease usually characterised by painless whitish spots on the skin, which can evolve and affect the nerves causing great damage if not treated in time. It is transmitted through the secretions of the contaminated individual.
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