Leprosy is a disease caused by a rod-shaped bacillus called
Mycobacterium Leprae or M-Leprae which affects the skin and nerves. It is
transmitted through air via droplets from the nose and mouth during close and
frequent contact with untreated infected individual.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated a campaign
to end discrimination and other human rights violations faced by people
affected by leprosy around the world. UN Sub-committee on the Protection and
Promotion of Human Right and has obtained unanimous approval for a resolution
to urge governments to end basic human rights violation.
Mixing, touching and hugging patients at the leprosarium
told the world that leprosy is not an infectious disease nor is it hereditary, though
through the effort of governments', leprosy had decline in countries like
Ghana, about six million cured leprosy patients in the world faced
discrimination and stigmatization.
It is very worrying and caution against the use of
derogatory terms such as lepers or its equivalent in other languages has been
advised to be refrained from.
Some patients added
that, they should not be referred to by the disease but by their names rather,
and also cured patients and their families should be acknowledged as people who
are part of society.
In an exclusive interview with Dr. Amankwah Otabil,
Programmes Manger, Leprosy Control,
Ghana Health Service, he said there were no vaccines for the disease, rather
early detection prevented deformities and urged the public to report to the
clinic with any skin rashes, adding that treatment for the disease was free.
Mr. Kofi Nyarko, a cured patient, teacher and an advocate
for the elimination of discrimination against leprosy appealed to his
colleagues to "keep hope alive" for the immense contribution to
eliminating leprosy in the world.
Your blog is aesthetically neat. The focus of the subject is also educative. It provides valuable insights into a long, hidden disease almost ignored in most countries these days.
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