World Leprosy Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of January. In India it is observed on 30 January, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme is \u201cBeat Leprosy\u201d, with the dual objectives of eradicating the stigma associated with leprosy and promoting the dignity of those afflicted by the disease.<\/p>\n
Leprosy is regarded as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NCD) and still occurs in over 120 countries with over 120 000 new cases reported annually. This is despite it no longer being classified as a global public health emergency, defined as a prevalence of less than 1 per 10 000 population. (WHO, 2024)<\/p>\n
In our collection, we have various works on both the disease and the causative organism \u201cMycobacterium leprae\u201d.<\/p>\n
Betty Martin\u2019s \u201cMiracle at Carville \u201creminds us that leprosy was never a solely tropical disease (Martin, 1952), and provides a narrative of the colony at Carville, near New Orelans.<\/p>\n
Tony Gould\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t fence me in : leprosy in modern times\u201d (Gould, 2005) provides a narrative of the social history of leprosy and its treatment from colonial times to the turn of the Millennium.<\/p>\n
Eric Silla\u2019s \u201cPeople are not the same : leprosy and identity in twentieth century Mali\u201d ( Silla, 1998) gives an account of the evolution of attitudes and treatment of leprosy patients in Mali from colonial to post-colonial times.<\/p>\n
Please take a look at our display in the Reading Room which includes these and many other works<\/p>\n
References:<\/p>\n