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Tag: stigma

A double whammy and double strength to overcome them

The question haunted them many days badgering their every waking hour. “Why us, why us,” they asked themselves a thousand times!
The Leprosy Mission Trust India’s PARTI (Partnerships, Advocacy, Research and Training towards Inclusion) project staff had done a good deal of leprosy awareness programmes in Vadakkupalayam village in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. After this, the project set up an information centre and an early intervention centre in the village to help people get timely help when they confront leprosy.

Arif Khan: The joy of having something to look forward to

A Class 10 student in one of the best schools in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Arif Khan enjoyed life to the hilt. With many friends in school and in his village, he never had a boring moment in life. At home also, he had a gala time with his parents and siblings – he is part of a large family of 12 members.

Meet Pankaj Kumar Srivastava, a champion for a leprosy-free India

15-year-old Pankaj would often look at his right foot and ask himself why his ulcer did not heal. He has seen many doctors in his native village in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Their ointments and antibiotics did not work, rather his ulcer got worse. He often sat by himself as he could not go out and play.

Demystifying a highly misunderstood disease – leprosy

Leprosy is the oldest infectious disease in human history – researchers believe that leprosy appears in an Egyptian Papyrus document written around 1550 B.C. This ancient disease thrives in the 21st century with over 2,00, 000 new cases detected in 150 countries in 2017.
Even today, when leprosy is curable, the age-old stigma attached to it has not been cured. Stigma is a reality in the lives of the people affected by leprosy, and this hampers their physical, psychological, social and economic well-being. The stigma attached to leprosy is so acute that persons affected by the disease, in many cases, are forced to leave their homes and live in isolated colonies. Stigma leads to irrational behaviour towards people affected by the disease. It is hurtful and leads to discriminatory practices.

#BustLeprosyMyths – a short video countering myths about leprosy with real facts

“Leprosy is the result of a curse.” “Leprosy cannot be cured.” How many of us have grown up hearing this?

But the unfortunate part is, we believe in such myths about leprosy and these myths add to the stigma associated with leprosy.