‘Leprosy need not isolate’
Modern methods of treating leprosy mean that those suffering from the disease can remain at work in the community, an Indian expert on leprosy, Dr R. J. Thangaraj,. has said in Christchurch.
Modern drugs could cure leprosy. These, however, must be administered as soon as possible after the disease was diagnosed to avoid the physical deformities that forced sufferers to be isolated from the normal communities, Dr Thangaraj said. “It is the stigma that the physical deformities bring that force people apart from others,’’ he said.
It was vital for people with leprosy and those around them to realise that early treatment and public education on the disease could help to maintain ordinary lifestyles. Dr Thangaraj, who is field representative for southern Asia for the Leprosy Mission, is an experienced surgeon in leprosy cases and has pioneered community health programmes in the Indian state of Andra Pradesh. “In this Year of the Disabled we in the leprosy field believe that the ' principle of integration is vital. We can only have this if we can get modern treatments to our people,” he said.
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Press, 27 February 1981, Page 12
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186‘Leprosy need not isolate’ Press, 27 February 1981, Page 12
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