The district would undertake a leprosy identification programme from September 10 to 23 for door-to-door survey maily through Angawnwadi and health workers and ASHAs.

During the period while an awareness campaign would be undertaken, a ‘Samba Rath’ would be rolled around the district. This was informed in a district level coordination committee meeting chaired by district Collector K Sudarshan Chakraverthy.

In the meeting, the officials informed that the Prevalence Rate (PR) of the district in 2018-19 is 7.05 as against 23.2 in the State. Among all the blocks and patches, the PR is highest in Nilgiri block and its NAC. Hence, more thrust would laid on these pockets.

More and more IEC programmes would not only generate awareness but also help in eradicating the diseases which was considered incurable once upon a time.

As a part of awareness programme while leaflets would be distributed among the students in schools and Anganwadi centres , after prayers  in the schools the students would be educated . Further, for more propagations, the messages would be publicised  through mass media.

While the training programme for the field workers to be deployed in survey works  would be  held on September 5  in different blocks , the consolidated  report would be submitted to the State by September 30 , informed Chakraverthy. The CDPOs would be given special training on the issue.  

CDMO Kamalakanta Nayak, PD DRDA Ramchandra Jena, ADMO(Public health) Dr Girish Chandra Pati, Dr SS Chaudhary, Dr Anataryami Mishra, DIPRO Subash Chandra Nihal, the District Education Officer and the District Social Welfare Officer were present.