Sri Lankan Tamils in rehabilitation camps in Ranipet screened
The Hindu
Health department officials organise drive as part of anti-leprosy week celebrations
Sri Lankan Tamils in a rehabilitation camp at Ramanathapakkam village in Walajah taluk in Ranipet district were screened for deformities and other infections related to leprosy on Saturday.
Health officials said the Sri Lankan Tamils in Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts were not screened for infections related to leprosy for many years. The Public Health Department took the anti-leprosy week celebrations as an opportunity to screen them in their camps starting from Ranipet district. “They are an unscreened population of deformities and other infections related to leprosy for many years. After completing the screening in rehabilitation camps in Ranipet, we will bring other camps in Vellore and Tirupattur under scanner,” B. Preetha, Deputy Director (Leprosy), Vellore, told The Hindu.
The three districts have around 3,500 families, with each rehabilitation camp sheltering at least 300 families. The neighbouring Tiruvannamalai district has 3,550 families.