Leprosy is still destroying many lives
Leprosy has long been extinct in Europe, but in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, it is still destroying many lives.
Travellers around New Delhi and any of India's mega cities are bound to come across victims.
They knock on the windows of queuing cars and beg for a few rupees. Dressed in dirty rags, some are missing a finger or two while others no longer have hands or feet. Some of their faces are disfigured.
Their lives have been devastated by leprosy, leaving them reliant on the modest alms.
World Leprosy Day yesterday, 29 January, aimed to draw attention to the disease, which infects more than 120000 people every year in India. Worldwide, twice as many victims fall ill with it.
India's National Leprosy Eradication Programme said it had success fighting the disease, but other groups urged caution.
"Even in India, official statistics give the impression that the problem is receding," said Rajbir Singh, a representative of the German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Association, which has been active in the country for more than 50 years.
"Yet our surveys show that the number of new infections is still high in some regions," he said.
Source: Sapa-dpa /The Times
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