Leprosy, Not Just a Biblical Problem

As World Leprosy Day approaches on Sunday, January 25, we thought it fitting to bring one of the world’s oldest known diseases to light.

World Leprosy Day helps to focus on the needs of some of the poorest and most marginalized people in the world – those affected by leprosy. It helps to tell the story to people who do not know that leprosy still exists and that it can now be cured. It also helps raise funds so that those with leprosy can be cured and cared for.

Spread the word that every two minutes someone is diagnosed with leprosy.

Even though it is curable, many people with Leprosy and Buruli ulcer are stigmatized and shunned from their communities – at times comparable to that of biblical times.

Prevalent in India and Brazil !!  There is a cure and in Brazil a simple blood test to detected it !!

“Every two minutes someone is diagnosed with leprosy,” says American Leprosy Missions President and CEO Bill Simmons. “For more than 100 years, American Leprosy Missions has been working to cure leprosy, care for those damaged by the disease and ultimately bring an end to leprosy. 

Each year, World Leprosy Day is a time to pause and be thankful for the many people who have been cured of leprosy. But it is also a time to remember the thousands of people who will contract leprosy this year and the millions who suffer from disabilities caused by this terrible disease. We must not forget, that in many parts of the world, leprosy is still a public health problem. So we encourage everyone to join us in observing World Leprosy Day.”