The why

Some of the most tragic stories in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases come through children. As of 2023, reports show that NTDs affects more than 1 billion children.

More than 500,000 children are affected by leishmaniasis annually, 400 million cases of dengue fever are reported worldwide, and over a third new cases of Chagas diseases are pediatric cases.

In line with the strategic pillars of the Global Leprosy Strategy (2021-2030), The Leprosy Mission Nepal launched a school health program in 2023 to address one of the major challenges cited within the Global Leprosy Strategy, Delay in Detection . The initiative designed to focus on diagnosing child cases for Leprosy leading to Zero Transmission and raising awareness of Leprosy leading to Zero Discrimination, also focuses on providing pediatric care to school going children (ages 4 to 16.)

The How

The initiative entitled “School Health Program” focuses on providing pediatric care to school going children, with a focus on catching early child cases of Leprosy and also spreading awareness about Leprosy. The monthly camp started in January of 2023 and as of September 2023, a total of 411 school going children were screened for general health problems, in addition to early signs of leprosy. While there haven’t been any new cases of leprosy diagnosed in the past six months, the program has provided primary pediatric care on issues such as malnutrition, dental problems, skin problems, heart problems, respiratory tract infection, ear problems, intellectual impairment, lagopthalmos, acute gastroenteritis etc. The program also focuses on providing mental health care to young adults and create a safe space where they can openly talk about any mental issues they are facing and work with a counselor to brainstorm ways on how best to tackle those issues.