WHO Ambassador on Leprosy targets discrimination against cured lepers

Ho(VR), March 10, GNA - Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, World Health Organisation (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador on Leprosy, on Wednesday stated that the status of cured lepers in Ghana were far better than other countries in the world despite their poor living conditions. He noted that during a global tour he embarked on, he observed that the not only were their living condition very appalling but also that to suffer discriminations and stigmatization.

Speaking at a durbar held in his honour at the HO leprosarium, Sasakawa said he was glad that free medication and early detection was preventing deformities.

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 individuals. He said has therefore initiated a campaign to end discrimination and other human rights violations faced by people affected by leprosy around the world.

Mr. Sasakawa, also the Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, a non profit foundation established in 1962, says he has approached the 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. Appointed by the Japanese Government as the WHO Goodwill Ambassador in 2007, he was in the country as part of the delegation of the Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan who was on a four-day visit to the country. He said he was committed to work to improve the living conditions of the cured patients who due to their deformities could not cater for their families.

Mixing, touching and hugging patients at the leprosarium to tell the world that leprosy is not an infectious disease nor is it hereditary, Mr. Sasakawa said though through the effort of governments' leprosy had declined in countries like Ghana, about six million cured leprosy patients in the world still faced discrimination and stigmatization. This, he said, was very worrying and cautioned against the use of derogatory terms such as lepers or its equivalent in other languages. Mr. Sasakawa said those patients should not be identified by the name of the disease but by their real names adding, cured patients and their families should be acknowledged as people who are part of society. He commended Ghana for the 0.29 per 10,000 leprosy rates and that Ghana was far ahead of many countries in the treatment and management of leprosy especially in terms of facilities, cleanliness at the hospital and camp and presented an undisclosed amount of money, footballs and T-shirts to the cured patients and families.

Dr. Timothy S. Letse, Acting Regional Director of Health, said as high as 800 cases recorded about 20 years ago had reduced to 132 as at last year and was expected to reduce further, adding that the severity of the disease had also reduced drastically.

He said only 58 person were registered as new and old patients and expressed appreciation to the health authorities for the supply of reagents and medicines for treatment of the cases. Currently, the leprosarium has 120 cured leprosy patients who have not been integrated with their families due to stigma and were located in seven communities outside the leprosarium.

The Acting Regional Director said 35 out of the number were in critical need of food support and other social amenities adding, their plight has been worsen by the sale of farmlands used for their subsistence farming. He was however happy to announce that all cured patients had been registered under the national Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)by government and other Non Governmental Organizations to make life a little bearable for them.

According to the Global Appeal to end stigma and discrimination against people affected by leprosy in 2007, discrimination was one of the oldest forms and most pervasive examples of social injustice in the history of the human race. Millions of men, women and children continue to suffer social, economic and legal discrimination, simply because they or a member of their family has leprosy. 10 March 10