Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Sept 3: Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Kathua, Surinder Mohan here today along with Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Vijay Raina launched district-wide leprosy detection campaign.
The launch was marked by the flagging off of IEC (Information, Education and Communication) vehicle and supervisory teams from the DC Office complex.
The event was graced by the Zonal Leprosy Officer Jammu, Dr. Sushma Matoo along with Health Department staff and students from ANMT School.
This intensive fortnight-long campaign has begun today to reach every household across the district.
A team of 565 dedicated health workers has been deployed to screen each individual for signs and symptoms associated with leprosy and these teams will report daily to 129 supervisors to ensure thorough coverage and prompt action.
A 24×7 Control Room has been established at the CMO Office complex to facilitate daily reporting and to address any challenges encountered by the teams during survey.
The primary goal of the campaign is early detection of leprosy cases to prevent physical disabilities and deformities through timely treatment thereby curbing transmission of the disease at the community level.
The first round of campaign is expected to cover approximately 667,000 individuals.
In addition, a second round of this campaign, lasting 14 days, is planned for November 2024 to ensure screening of missed individuals.