Rini from Bangladesh
Rina, aged 37, went to the clinic in Mirpur, Bangladesh with a large pale patch on her left cheek which had some loss of sensation. She didn't notice it for a long time because she was busy working, but says she first saw it the year before. She had taken her daughter to the clinic because she was coughing and feverish and she suspected it was TB - it was actually asthma. While she was there, the clinic worker noticed her pale patch and arranged for her to come back to the leprosy clinic, which she did for the first time.
She had paucibacillary (PB) (lesser infection) leprosy and was given multidrug therapy (MDT) for six months. The clinic tested for loss of sensation in the hands and feet by pricking six specific points on her finger tips and around her palm and the soles of her feet. Rini had to keep her eyes closed and point to the places where she could feel sensation from the fine point used. She had loss of sensation in her small toes which may have returned after treatment. If sensation doesn't return patients need protective footwear which The Leprosy Mission provides. Strength and movement of her hands and feet were also checked for tendon damage. The rest of her body and her eyes were also checked. The tests are repeated once a month when she collects her medication.
Rina has two married daughters and two daughters at home - the youngest is 13 years old. Rini works as a housekeeper in several homes and her husband sells vegetables. She says she is not worried about the leprosy.
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