IADVL to hold Skin Safar Rath

As a part of community outreach programme, Indian Association of Dermatologists Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) will organise 'Skin Safar Rath' campaign to create awareness on skin hygiene and other skin related diseases.

The campaign will also discuss the early detection and treatment of leprosy and awareness and eradication of the social stigma attached to vitiligo. The campaign will be held from Kashmir to Kanyakumari during this month.

Addressing the media on Friday, president of IADVL Karavali branch Dr Girish B S said that there is rampant misuse of topical steroid creams, not only by the rural populace but also by educated people in urban areas. "The irrational use of steroid creams in fungal infections has lead to the dubious distinction of India harbouring the fungus resistant super-bug for most of the modalities of existing anti-fungal treatment," he said.

To educate the public, the IADVL has been distributing posters and pamphlets through dermatology clinics across the country.

He said, "To contain the threat of fungal super bug, IADVL has constituted IADVL Task Force Against Topical Steroid Abuse (ITATSA) and IADVL Task Force against Recalcitrant Tinea (ITART) to develop strategies, to educate the doctors, pharmacists and general public to adopt general measures against the usage of steroid combination creams, which do not have any role in the treatment of fungal or other skin infections."

Further, he said that quackery in dermatology is a big menace as unqualified individuals claim to be skin specialists, cosmetologists or trichologists which needs to be checked.

Certain skin conditions likes extensive psoriasis and pemphigus are not only life threatening but also emotionally wrenching for the patient and family. Biologic, useful in such conditions cannot be easily accessed due to the high cost of the medicines.

"These drugs are made available to the general public free of cost in the government run hospitals of Tamil Nadu. Insurance regulatory authorities should consider this category of medicines under insurance cover, as it would help in reducing the morbidity and mortality of these conditions," he added.