Hard to Catch, But Leprosy Still Spreads

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Nurul Hidayah, who has prosthetic limbs, carries water drawn from a well on Tuesday (3/9/2019) at the Babat Jerawat community shelter (Liponsos) in Surabaya, East Java. The city-managed Liponsos is caring for 93 people who have leprosy, providing them with shelter, food, health care and training.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesia is ranked third globally in the number of leprosy cases. Although it is difficult to catch, the ancient disease remains highly prevalent in the country, indicating minimal access to health care in several regions and the persistent stigma against people with the disease.

A 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) data reported that Indonesia had 17,441 case of leprosy, the third highest in the world after India and Brazil. The disease has not been eradicated in nine of Indonesia’s 34 provinces, including Papua, West Papua, North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi and North Maluku. The prevalence of leprosy in these provinces is less than one in 10,000 people.