TOOWOOMBA, Qld With
new COVID social restrictions in force in many countries, a just-released
report reveals the loneliness and despair of people living with another
“disease of isolation” leprosy.
Cameroon Sees Resurgence of Leprosy 20 Years After ‘Eradication’
February 2, 2021
Share | Cameroon is seeing a resurgence of leprosy, the bacterial?infectious disease that causes severe, disfiguring skin sores and nerve damage.? Cameroon health authorities, on Sunday’s World Leprosy Day, said infections have jumped by about 50% since 2018.? Leprosy patients say, just as in ancient times, they are shunned and neglected.
Cameroon two decades ago announced that it had eliminated leprosy, but around 200 cases continued to be reported each year.
In 2019, cases of the bacterial disease, which damages skin and nerves, increased to 270 and last year jumped to over 300.
Ernest Nji Tabah, the permanent secretary of Cameroon’s National Committee for Leprosy, says a number of Cameroon’s health districts have been reporting outbreaks of the chronic but curable condition.
February 01, 2021
CWN Editor s Note: Following his January 31 Angelus address, Pope Francis echoed the Dicastery for Integral Human Development’s message. “I express my closeness to those who suffer from this disease, and I encourage the missionaries, health care workers and volunteers who are engaged in their service,” the Pope said. “I hope that the leaders of nations will unite in their efforts to treat those suffering from Hansen’s disease and to ensure their social inclusion.”
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