Date: 2020-07-28

Dr Rasheed Muhammed, the Programme Manager, Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme in Kwara, on Monday says there is no COVID-19 case at the Leprosy Settlement in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin, Muhammed disclosed that though the settlement had no records of the pandemic, the inmates were however feeling the impact of Coronavirus.

The expert on Tuberculosis and Leprosy control lamented that the people in the settlement have no means of income and what to feed their family members with.

He observed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the inmates resorted to begging to survive but now that the pandemic was in the state, they could hardly see people around to beg.

"This is due to the lockdown and social distancing advised by the state government to curb the spread of the pandemic.

"COVID-19 has had great effect on the inmates, even though there are no cases, it has been difficult.

"Though some organisations have been to the settlement to distribute some food items," he said. According to him, the Damien Foundation in Nigeria, who specialised in caring for people with tuberculosis and Leprosy, has been coming to the assistance of the settlement.

Commending the state government for assisting the people, he however, observed that government alone cannot do everything.

Muhammed appealed to organisations and well meaning individuals in the society to come to the assistance of the settlement, adding that they were humans just like anybody.

He warned against stigmatising people living in the settlement, adding that the people do not have the disease anymore.

He explained that the disease had been cured already and what people see was only the effects that tend to deform them, adding that they cannot infect anybody.