As elsewhere in Jammu & Kashmir and the nation, the Sparsh leprosy awareness campaign or SLAC 2020 was Thursday launched across the Srinagar district.Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary launched the campaign at the district level whereas other senior officers of the district administration launched it at block and zonal levels across the district.During the launch the DC read out a pledge to take all measures required for early detection and freeing the district of leprosy. Speaking he said awareness about the disease is of crucial importance and all efforts as required will be taken to make citizens of the district aware of it in order to be able to detect and check on it at the right time.In each health zone of the district the campaign was launched from concerned primary health centres including PHC Batamaloo, PHC SR Gunj, PHC Zadibal and PHC Hazratbal. In Khanyar zone the campaign was launched from Gousia Hospital.Sub Divisional Magistrates East and West Sandeep Singh and Hamida Akhter and Assistant Commissioner Revenue Rouf Rehman launched the campaigns in these zones.In DC Office Srinagar where the main launch was held under the chairmanship of DC Srinagar an awareness session about leprosy was also held.
Chief Medical Officer and District Leprosy Officer Srinagar enlightened the attendance about the disease and the importance of early detection thereof. ADC Srinagar M Haneef Balkhi was also present on the occasion.Under the campaign which will last a full fortnight public awareness camps communicatIng the importance of early detection and treatment of leprosy will be organised across the district. The campaigns will be in held in cooperation and coordination with allied sectors of the health department.Dr Shahid while speaking during the launch said reaching out to the marginalised sections is vital to managing the spread of this disease. He said the idea is to spin a positive outcome from awareness and not concentrate on the negative aspects of the disease.The Sparch leprosy awareness campaign or SLAC was launched across the nation for the first time in 2017. It aspires to promote community participation to reorient the delivery of service of diagnosis and treatment of leprosy in its early stages.The fortnight campaign is launched on 30 January when Anti-Leprosy Day is observed annually in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi to re-memorise his selfless efforts and care for the people affected by leprosy also known as Hansen's disease — which is a chronic infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis and can cause nerve damage and a lack of ability to feel pain and lead to loss of parts of a person's extremities from repeated injuries or infection due to unnoticed wounds.