People with leprosy in Nigeria will be able to access essential drugs to treat the disease for the first time in a year starting this Sunday, according to the World Health Organization. Nigeria reports over 2,000 new cases annually and had run out of drugs because of new regulatory measures that were causing delays. The WHO requested Nigeria to temporarily lift its new testing policy, and it expects the drugs to arrive from India on Sunday. Leprosy can be cured with a combination of antibiotics if treated early; otherwise, patients may suffer from sores and nerve damage that cause deformities. The lack of medication in Nigeria has led to patients being sent home from hospitals, increasing the risk of the disease’s spread. Dr. Samimu Msheliza, a public health expert and medical advisor at the Nigerian branch of the Leprosy Mission, emphasized the urgent need for medication, noting that patients are suffering, and their transmission is ongoing because they are not being treated. The new regulatory measures were introduced to tackle the importation of counterfeit and sub-standard drugs, but it has also impacted the availability of medicines, including leprosy treatments.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2nz3ejk72o