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Global community urges no further push to eliminate leprosy – Global issues

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, stands with Yohei Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for the Elimination of Leprosy, at the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2022. Sasakawa was honored at the Global Health Leadership Awards.
  • by Joyce Chimbi (nairobi)
  • Joint press service

However, this is not a unique story, Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for leprosy eradication. This is the story of those affected by leprosy, where there are more than 100 laws around the globe that discriminate based on the disease.

During his travels to at least 122 countries in Africa and South America, he found that the story of people affected by leprosy is characterized by stigma, discrimination, and ostracism.

Against that backdrop, Sasakawa sent a message of hope and encouragement throughout the sixth season ‘Don’t forget leprosy’ campaign webinar series titled Eliminating Leprosy: Initiatives in the Americas and Africa.

He said that the eradication of leprosy was “its last resort. A sustained push is needed despite and because of ongoing challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic as well as myths and misconceptions about leprosy.”

“India has the highest number of leprosy cases, but it has also set a target of eliminating leprosy by 2030. This is an ambitious goal. I am encouraged by my unwavering efforts, commitment and passion to get rid of leprosy. “

With the pervasiveness of the challenge of leprosy in mind, under Sasakawa Leprosy InitiativeWHO Goodwill Ambassador, Nippon Foundationand Sasakawa Health Foundation work in a coordinated approach to achieve a leprosy-free world.

Dr. Carissa Etienne, Director, Inter-American Health Organization, WHO’s regional office for the Americas, stressed the need to sustain the fight to zero cases of leprosy by 2030. She called for an increase double the effort. The Global Leprosy Strategy 2021 to 2030 is both a health and economic strategy as it promotes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The webinar provided a platform for health officials, NGOs and representatives of organizations of people affected by leprosy. Participants heard how countries in the Americas and Africa are stepping up prevention initiatives under WHO guidelines to accelerate the annual decline in new leprosy cases.

Experts emphasize that innovative approaches are essential to sustaining leprosy case detection, contact tracing and treatment, especially as COVID-19 continues to shift focus cure from this disease.

The speakers emphasized that the prompt screening regimen and treatment of qualified contacts with the WHO-recommended single dose rifampicin is crucial. When a single dose is given as a post-exposure prophylaxis to contacts of newly diagnosed patients, it reduces the chance of developing leprosy by 50 to 60% over the next two years.

WHO recorded a total of 202,185 new cases of leprosy globally in 2019. India, Indonesia and Brazil recorded the highest number of new leprosy cases – more than 10,000 cases each.

Worldwide, 13 other countries report 1,000 to 10,000 cases each. The Americas recorded 29,936 new cases, followed by Africa with 20,205 cases.

The webinar was organized in line with the Global Leprosy Strategy for 2021-2030, in line with the new road map for neglected tropical diseases. To eliminate leprosy, new cases must fall to about 63,000 globally.

Dr. Carmelita Ribeiro Filha Coriolano from the Brazilian Ministry of Health spoke extensively about the spread of new cases in the Americas in 2020. Health surveillance secretariat for chronic and STDs sex route

Coriolano provided a detailed sociological profile of new leprosy cases and indicators of physical disability collected by the Health Surveillance Secretariat on Chronic Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. ten. She noted that Brazil recorded the highest number of new leprosy cases in 2021. Yohei Sasakawa,

In Africa, too, these cases remain a cause for concern.

“In 2015, leprosy was eliminated as a public health concern in Angola. But the disease remains very high priority as the most recent data show 797 new cases detected,” said Dr. Ernesto Afonso, National Leprosy Program Coordinator, Ministry of Health of Angola.

Dr. Joseph Ngozi Chukwu, medical advisor, German Leprosy Relief Association in Nigeria, updated the epidemiology, leprosy case management, achievements and lessons learned.

“It is estimated that more than 30,000 people are living with leprosy-related disabilities across Nigeria,” he said.

Lucrecia Vasquez Acevedo, President, Felehansen-National Federation of Associations of People Affected by Leprosy in Colombia, said the stigma continued.

“We cannot forget about leprosy because of the myths, misconceptions and lies created around leprosy. It is important to teach others the truth about leprosy. During the pandemic, we have learned to use technology to teach and overcome the challenges of accessing information brought about by the pandemic,” said Acevedo, suggesting the same. should also apply to leprosy.

Professor Takahiro Nanri, Executive Director, Sasakawa Health Foundation, organized a Q&A session, providing an opportunity to answer questions from the participants. During the session, issues of myth, misconception and stigma arose as they remained an obstacle to the eradication of leprosy.

Report of the United Nations Office IPS


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© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service

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