Africa-Press – Uganda. In 2019, Wilberforce Mukuye, 38, a resident of Busunju, Mityana District, burnt himself while roasting plantain, locally known as gonja. Mr Mukuye said he initially did not feel the pain but cleaned the wounds and resumed his work.
However, when he returned home later that day, he started feeling pain and applied local herbs to treat the wounds.
Four years later, Mr Mukuye has never recovered from the injury. On December 28, 2022, he sought treatment at Namayumba Hospital in Wakiso District after the wounds developed pus.
He says upon examining his wounds, doctors at the health centre immediately referred him to Wakiso Health Centre IV in Wakiso Town Council, saying they could not manage his condition.
On December 29, 2022, Mr Mukuye went to Wakiso Health Centre IV. He was examined and it was discovered that he had leprosy, among other infections.
Dr Esau Muhumya, the Wakiso District tuberculosis and leprosy supervisor, said although the health centre has the capacity to treat leprosy, the drugs for the other infections are not available.
Mr Mukuye’s fingers are deformed and some still have open wounds making it impossible for him to do simple chores like washing clothes, cooking among others. He, however, says he has no one to help him.
“I separated from my wife 10 years ago. My family abandoned me. I don’t even know where they are. Ever since I got this disease, I have been helped by some community members to get what to eat and other stuff but they also got tired. Even here at the hospital, I am helped by good Samaritans and fellow patients to get what to eat and to dress,” he said.
Dr Muhumya said if Mr Mukuye is availed of all the necessary support, he can recover within a month but he cannot regain his fingers.
He added that the health centre has received four leprosy cases in a period of four years.
ABOUT LEPROSY
Dr Esau Muhumya, the Wakiso District tuberculosis and leprosy supervisor, leprosy is a disease mainly caused by the bacteria called mycobacterium leprae which damages the skin and the peripheral nervous system
Symptoms of the disease include light-coloured or red skin patches with reduced sensation, skin nodules and muscle weakness, pain in the joints, among others.
The disease develops slowly from six months to 40 years and results in skin lesions and deformities.
Dr Muhumya said leprosy doesn’t spread easily and treatment is very effective because it can be cured within six months to a year. There is a vaccine (BCG) to treat the disease.
For household contact, immediate and annual examinations are recommended for at least five years after the last contact with a person who is infectious.
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