Posted On: 2023-01-27 11:50:47
Observed on the last Sunday of January, World Leprosy Day was initially started in 1954 by a French philanthropist, Raoul Follereau, in order to create awareness about Leprosy. In India, it is celebrated on 30th January- the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, in order to commemorate his work of reducing the stigma against the afflicted people.
Leprosy is also known as Hansen’s disease, named after Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen, the first to identify the bacteria causing Leprosy. It is a long-term bacterial infection that can cause permanent and irreparable damage to nerves, the respiratory tract, skin and eyes. The disease leads to loss of sensation in the affected areas. The victims of this disease cannot sense pain in the affected areas, which leads to wounds and injuries being left neglected, which in turn can cause long-term health consequences. Symptoms of this disease may include muscle weakness and poor eyesight.
Even though Leprosy is easily curable, the stigma surrounding the disease leads to neglect and lack of access to proper health care and basic human rights in remote and under-developed countries like India, Brazil, and Indonesia.
Due to age-old beliefs, a lot of people attribute Leoprosy to a divine curse or god’s wrath. Even though ‘The Lepers Act of 1898’ (an act which encouraged discrimination against the victims of Leprosy) in 2016, taboos against the disease still continue in parts of India.
Often times, people with Leprosy are forced to leave their homes and reside in isolated areas. Even if they are allowed to live among people, access to mainstream society becomes difficult for them. They are excluded from community gatherings and festivals and denied access to community wells, education, employment and marriage. They sometimes even face discrimination at the hands of healthcare workers
So how can you as a normal citizen work towards reducing the stigma against Leprosy?
First, you can start by busting some myths to educate yourself and the people around you.
The most basic misconception about Leprosy is that it is highly contagious, which is false as ninety-five per cent of people have an automatically built-in immune system to combat Leprosy. Shaking hands or any kind of social contact does not spread Leprosy.
Second is that, Leprosy is incurable. This is also not true as we have several antibiotics to treat Leprosy. In 1995, World Health Organization (WHO) developed a multidrug therapy to treat all kinds of Leprosy.
And third is that only old people get affected by Leprosy. Leprosy can affect anyone at any point in time.
It is also not right to call people with Leprosy ‘leapers’, as it is considered derogatory and enables the strong stigma that is already prevalent in our society.
You can also celebrate World Leprosy Day by visiting Leprosy centres and offering them gifts and making social contact with them. This will help to reduce the stigma attached to Leprosy and will make your friends and family more aware.
In your corporate or residential societies, you can invite speakers or NGOs to organize a session on Leprosy. This will educate people in large numbers and have a positive impact.
So, this 30th January let’s fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a Leprosy-free India and commit to making the lives of people with the disease better.
Author: Adil Sayyad
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