Like every year the World Leprosy Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of January (in 2022, it’s 30 January).
It’s an event, established in 1954 by the French writer and journalist Raoul Follereau, with the aim of promoting awareness, control, prevention and early diagnosis of the disease.
In fact Leprosy (Hansen's disease), is one of those forgotten tropical diseases (Neglected Tropical Diseases - NTDs) that affect more than a billion people worldwide every year and which, if not diagnosed early and adequately treated, can lead to permanent and often severe disabilities.
Although leprosy is treatable and medicines are provided free, it continues to spread to the poorest areas of the world and affect over 200,000 people, including many children.
The main causes are due to poverty, failure of the health and hygiene services, inadequate nutrition and poor local health systems.
In Italy, the World Leprosy Day is promoted by the Italian Association Amici di Raoul Follereau (AIFO) under the High Patronage of the Presidency of the Republic and in collaboration with the World Health Organization. The WHO road map (2021-2030) provides a new global strategy for the elimination of leprosy. Goal: to reach 2030 with an increase in the number of newly diagnosed people worldwide and a reduction in the rate of new cases with severe disabilities.
References:
World Health organization (WHO). World Leprosy Day
Associazione Italiana Amici di Raoul Follereau (AIFO). Le malattie dimenticate nel 2022 esistono ancora
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