INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
47-year-old, whose wages support her husband, four children and three grandchildren.By the time she sought help, the nerve damage in her
left hand was too extensive to regain its use
Gonju was diagnosed with leprosy two years ago.According to the Leprosy Mission, the vast tea plantations of Sylhet in the north-east of the
which works in 10 countries in Africa and Asia, found a prevalence rate of up to 15 cases for every 10,000 people, compared with fewer than
one in 10,000 in the rest of the country
It is spread by moisture droplets passed through the air
Tea pickers, who usually live in crowded conditions in basic corrugated-iron homes on the plantations, and lack decent food, sanitation and
health facilities, are particularly vulnerable to infection.Drugs can stop the disease progressing, but they cannot reverse
disability.Gonju, who works on a plantation in Srimangal, still picks tea but now relies solely on her right hand
Photograph: Ruth TowellShe now helps to run a support group for people with leprosy living on her plantation.The Leprosy Mission team has
cured more than 1,600 cases since it started working in the plantations in 2017
It has set up pop-up clinics on the plantations and assigned community health workers and doctors to search for the signs of leprosy and
it had fewer than one case for 10,000 people, not that there were no more infections
leprosy eliminated in Bangladesh, there has been a significant lack of funding and resources to address the issue, which still very much
Due to a late diagnosis, where his leprosy was missed three times by a government hospital, his hands are now seriously affected by leprosy
Photograph: Ruth TowellProtap Kurmi, 36, was a tractor driver on a tea plantation in Srimangal until he contracted the disease
He knew there was something wrong when he was unloading a trailer full of tea leaves and could not grip the handle.Over the next few months,
his fingers became stiff and began bending in towards his palms
The disease had already impaired the nerves in his hands by the time he was diagnosed by an outreach worker.No longer able to drive a
tractor, Kurmi works as a security guard on lower pay
He struggles to feed and wash himself, requiring help from his wife for daily tasks, and his hand trembles when he picks up a glass of water
the conditions in which tea pickers live and work have a clear impact on their health
Many are undernourished, while serious illnesses often take a long time to be diagnosed because there are fewer health facilities and
workers cannot afford time off to seek treatment.A self-help group in a tea estate meet and drink tea
The government intervened, and raised their daily salary from 120 Bangladeshi taka (90p) to 170 taka a day.Gain says tea plantation owners
claim they pay lower wages because they provide the workers and their children with accommodation, education and healthcare, but the
services they do provide are basic.
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
