The campaign has led to the detection and treatment of over 16,700 leprosy sufferers since 1990, over 8,700 more than the pre-campaign average of about 1,000 cases a year. Thus the backlog of untreated leprosy sufferers has been significantly reduced. Non-affected persons and health care providers were shown photographs of representative lesions of leprosy and vignettes describing the development and course of signs to provide a focus for questions about the interpretation of the problem, its cause, course, appropriate treatment, social attitudes and sources of information about the problem. The results are currently being analysed and will be presented at the conference. The epidemiological assessment, together with the top-line results of the study indicate a dramatic improvement in the overall leprosy situation in Sri Lanka.
Most respondents are aware that Western medicine can cure for leprosy without deformities.
There is also good recognition of the signs of leprosy. The Anti-Leprosy Campaign collaborates closely with the general health services and has been able to recruit further staff which was difficult in the past due to the stigma surrounding leprosy. Improving recognition of leprosy is significantly easier than changing societal attitudes. There are also financial disincentives to refer and an absence of referral traditions. Having reached the WHO goal of elimination at a national level the next step is to eliminate leprosy at a district level.