In a statement issued on Friday, the Director of Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, Ina Agustina Isturini, said that Indonesia has made progress in controlling leprosy and filariasis.
However, several challenges remain, including stigma, late diagnosis, and low public awareness, as well as compliance with treatment, she added.
"Indonesia still ranks third in the world for the number of new leprosy cases, with a total of 12,798 new cases," she pointed out.
The provinces with the highest number of leprosy cases are East Nusa Tenggara, Southeast Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Maluku, and Papua.
Although the prevalence of leprosy has declined since 1981, total elimination remains the main target under the government's "Zero New Cases, Zero Disabilities, and Zero Stigma" vision, Isturini said.
In the same statement, Sri Linuwih Susetyo Wardhani Menaldi from the Indonesian Society of Dermatology and Venereology (PERDOSKI) said that the stigma surrounding leprosy patients is the main obstacle to elimination efforts.
She outlined five main strategies to achieve the leprosy elimination target. The first is early detection and immediate treatment with multi-drug therapy for 6–12 months.
The second is mass drug administration in regions with a high number of cases, and the third is active surveillance to detect cases quickly.
"The fourth is health education and promotion to reduce stigma and increase public awareness. The fifth is cross-sector collaboration to accelerate leprosy elimination," she explained.
Meanwhile, Professor Taniawati Supali from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Indonesia underscored that filariasis worsens poverty because it renders patients unable to work and often turns them into outcasts.
To achieve the 2030 filariasis elimination target, she outlined five main strategies. The first is mass drug administration every year for five years in endemic areas.
The second is the implementation of a three-drug treatment strategy (IDA therapy), which can accelerate elimination in just two years. The third is strict surveillance to ensure there is no new transmission.
The fourth is increasing public education about the dangers and prevention of filariasis. The last strategy is cross-sector collaboration, including with livestock farms.
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Translator: Mecca Yumna, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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