Leprosy is back! Are you in danger?

Unclean!

Today, left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. It doesn’t cause body parts to fall off. However, nerves become numb – resulting in injuries or burns not being noticed until it’s too late. Secondary infections then result in tissue loss, such as missing fingers and toes. It is successfully treated with a combination of medicines – and the World Health Organization says in the last 20 years more than 15 million people have been cured. But thousands still suffer from it, particularly in the Philippines, India and central Africa – where there are still more than 1,000 leper colonies.

^{A leper colony in India}^{(Hope for Hansen’s photo)}

Unclean!

Serving such poverty-stricken leper colonies in the Third World are a number of outreaches, such as “Hope for Hansen’s,” which says its mission “is to bring hope to those affected by leprosy and their families – hope for proper treatment and management of their disease, substantial improvements in their quality of life, and attaining self-sufficiency and independence.” The group does it by providing basic necessities of life, medical supplies, tuition for patients’ children – and micro-financing to help fund and support the entrepreneurial spirit for new businesses “such as bangle stores, bicycle repair shops, general stores, farming and rickshaws.”

^{Students at a colony}^{(Hope for Hansen’s)}