The World Health Organization says it will send leprosy drugs to Nigeria this weekend after resolving testing hold-ups that led to a year-long delay in thousands of patients, including children, getting the medicine they need to prevent disability....Read Full Article >>➤
Nigeria reports over 1,000 cases of leprosy annually, a disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, which primarily affects the skin, peripheral nerves, and eyes. While it is treatable with multi-drug therapy, if left untreated, the disease can lead to severe complications, including disfiguring sores, blindness, and paralysis.
Additionally, patients often face significant stigma. However, in early 2024, the country faced a shortage of the multi-drug therapy due to bureaucratic delays in supply chains and new domestic regulations on testing imported medicines, which held up the drugs in India, where one of the components is manufactured.
This delay, which caused considerable suffering, highlights the vulnerabilities of the global health system, as similar stockouts have occurred in countries such as India, Brazil, and Indonesia in recent years, according to the U.N. Special Rapporteur for leprosy.
A spokesperson for the WHO confirmed Nigeria’s shortage of leprosy medications and stated that the U.N. health agency, responsible for organizing drug shipments, had requested a one-time exemption from the new testing policy. That exemption was granted in January.
“A dispatch of leprosy drugs from India has been confirmed for 8 March, with arrival in Nigeria on 9 March,” the spokesperson said by email.
Be the first to comment