DAVAO CITY (PIA) — Dermatologists from the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) raised the importance of early detection and sustained treatment of leprosy to prevent severe complications and stop transmission.
“Ang mga pasyente kailangan lang magpacheck-up and ma-diagnose nang maaga and ma-treat sila nang maayos para ma-prevent nato ang complication,” Dr. Donna May Sarrenas, dermatologist from the Department of Dermatology of SPMC, emphasized during the Healthy Davao media forum on January 27.
(Patients just need to be checked, diagnosed early, and treated properly so that we can prevent complications and transmission.)
While leprosy can cause permanent skin and nerve damage if left untreated, Sarrenas reiterated that early and proper treatment can prevent these complications, citing, “Most sa patient namo actually dili na maabot ana na stage kay lagi na diagnose og early and then na tambalan og tarong.”
(Most of our patients actually do not reach that stage because they are diagnosed early and then treated properly.)
Sarrenas emphasized that leprosy is curable. The treatment involved multi-drug therapy, which lasts for six months to one year and is provided free of charge.
Leprosy is an infectious disease; however, Sarrenas highlighted that when detected and treated earlier the possibility of spreading decreases.
For instance, she explained that in just a month of treatment, a leprosy patient could no longer transmit the disease.
“Maong dili ta kailangang mahadlok sa ilaha kay dili na sila makatakod, ang importante lang masugdan and i-continue nila’g maayo ang treatment. So dili kailangan mahuman or ma-label as cured or fully treated before sya maingon nga dili na makatakod ang pasyente,” she explained.
(So we don’t need to be afraid of them because they are no longer contagious. The important thing is that they start and continue the treatment. So it doesn’t need to be finished or labeled as cured or fully treated before the patient can be said to be no longer contagious.)
She added that it is for this reason that isolation among leprosy patients is no longer necessary.
“What we do in SPMC is just we do monthly follow up for these patients. I-check nato kaya ba nila ang tambal naa ba sila’y reaction sa tambal or bag-o na ginabati and gina-resitahan nato sila’g tambal, ana lang hindi nato gina-admit (We check if they have reactions to the medication or experience other conditions and prescribe something new if there are. We do not admit them in the hospital),” she shared.
Sarrenas said that leprosy is a chronic infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria and is transmitted through prolonged closed contact, not physical contact like shaking hands.
Since it is a century-old disease, Sarrenas said that 95 percent of the population in the country has developed immunity to the disease. However, she clarified that this does not guarantee that one will not develop the disease, especially since the disease has an incubation period of around five to 10 years.
Regardless, she emphasized seeking medical consultation once early symptoms of leprosy are observed, especially patches on the skin—flat or elevated, lighter, darker, or reddish—accompanied by numbness in the affected area.
In SPMC, Dr. Silvino Rey Pino, senior resident from SPMC’s Department of Dermatology, said that they recorded 35 news cases in 2024 scattered across Mindanao.
At present, around 120 patients are undergoing treatment, while one to two have completed the treatment, he added. (ASO/PIA XI)
