Vital leprosy drugs due in Nigeria after year delay

People affected by leprosy in Nigeria should be able to get hold of vital drugs to treat the disease for the first time in a year from this weekend, the World Health Organization has said.

The country, which reports more than 2,000 new cases a year ran out of supplies partly because drugs were held up after new regulations were introduced.

The WHO said it had asked Nigeria to briefly lift its new testing policy and it expects the drugs to arrive from India on Sunday.

Leprosy is curable with a combination of different antibiotics, but if left untreated the patients' health can deteriorate with sores and nerve damage that cause deformities.

All Awwal Musa's fingers were clawed and her legs discharged pus. "Before last year, my wounds were getting healed but now they are getting worse. The pain is worse," Ms Musa is quoted as saying.

The nerve damage may be irreversible.

Nigeria's drug authority introduced new regulations for medicines aimed at tackling the importation of counterfeit and sub-standard drugs.

In recent years, several medicines have been recalled for failing to meet safety standards.

But the new measures have had an impact on the availability of crucial treatments, including those for leprosy.