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Service Yezu Mwiza in collaboration with the NGO Action Damien Burundi organized from August 16 to 17, 2022, a capacity building session for health care providers, on early detection of cases, precise diagnosis and rapid treatment of leprosy.

This training/refresher course is part of the implementation of WHO Global Strategy 2021-2030 "Towards Zero Leprosy", which is also a strategy of the Ministry of Public Health and AIDS Control (MSPLS), which aims to eradicate leprosy by 2030.

Leprosy is a chronic, transmissible bacterial disease with a long incubation period (average of 5 years, but symptoms may not appear for up to 20 years), caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is, probably, transmitted by droplets from the nose and mouth during close and frequent contact with infected and untreated people. It attacks the skin and peripheral nerves and, if left untreated, can lead to permanent impairment of the skin, nerves, face, hands and feet, as well as disability and social exclusion.

                                                                          Partial view of  participants during the training

According to Dr. Emmanuel IRAMBONA, trainer during this session: "The purpose of this session was to update health care providers on the clinical signs of leprosy for a good management, a good orientation for people affected by leprosy so that they receive the treatment as soon as possible to avoid complications. Also, health care providers will be able, in addition to their usual tasks, to help in the sensitization by giving advice on good practices to protect themselves from this disease ".

"The training has been very useful to me. Since it is a disease with a long incubation period, knowing its clinical signs and its treatment will help me to identify the pigments in the various patients who come to our health facility, and to refer them to the leprosy care centers if necessary", testifies Julienne, one of the care providers at SYM.

It should be noted that, the stigma and discrimination experienced by persons affected by leprosy is often due to the lack of sufficient knowledge among the population about the disease, including its cause and spread.