A STRANGE TOUR

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 January 1928, Page 9

A STRANGE TOUR

IN SEARCH OF LEPERS

MR Frank O.ldrieve, secretary ■of the British Empire Leprosy Belief Association, has recently 'completed a journey through Africa to investigate conditions with respect to leprosy for the association. He thus describes his travels: — i have just finished a long trip from Cairo to Capetown looking for lepers. Starting from Cairo, my wife and I travelled to Khartoum, then by the Kile through the Sudan to Uganda, in which protectorate we motored about 1000 miles. Then on to Kenya, and right through that wonderful country to the coast, where we took steamer to Zanzibar. Thence we went via Dar es Salaam and Boira In Nyassalnnd. After that we visited .Northern Rhodesia and Southern lihodesia, and we had a long tour through South .Africa, visiting all the leper institutions in the Union. We found lepers wherever we went — that is to say, in every British territory in East and Central Africa they are to be found in varying numbers. I estimate the total number of lepers in British colonies and protectorate at about 60,000. Great Britain is entirely responsible for these xioor sick sufferers. All classes in the 'community are afflicted with the disease, a well-to-do chief in Uganda, is going regularly for treatment to a doctor, and the Governor of Xyassalaiul told me about a chief whom he knew well who has been a leper for many years. The majority of the lepers, however, are found among the villagers, and it is often difficult to reach those living in fnr-aiway jdaces. Leprosy, of course, spreads most rapidly where sanitary i and ordinary health conditions are not ; good, but these matters arc being at- : tended to by the health authorities, and i the general henllth of the. community i will tend to improve as time passes. : ■Great interest was displayed where- i ever we went in the object of our visit. We were received by Sir Daudi Chwa, < the Kababa (king) of Buganda, who ex. i pressed warm sympathy with the work 1 wc were doing, and I was glad to iavo s the opportunity of addressing the 1 Native Parliament in Kampara, when c the Prime Minister presided. All pro- 1 sent promised to do what they could \ to help the lepers in their own conn- 1 try.. When we were in Zanzibar 1 s was received by His Highness ‘ho Sul- t tan, who was Keenly interested in what i I was able to tell him of the hopes of t ridding Zanzibar and Pemba of this f dread disease. The Governors of all ; the territories showed us the greatest c courtesy, and the Governments did a everything they could to make »ur tour ( a success. Wherever we went we cat- c ried a message of hope, for a new situ- i ation has arisen in dealing with leprosy t to-day. 1 1 Doomed to a Leper Asylum ’ is what c a leper woman wrote some time ago, but a not so much stress is being laid on se- i gregntion now as it was some years ago. e

Indeed, compulsory segregation does little good, :is it invariably results in the early eases of lepfosy being sent away to an institution. The medical authorities in South Africa are to be warmly complimented on the action that they have taken during the last five years in releasing many of the old people who have been in the institutions in South Africa for years, and whom the doctors have now pronounced to be non-infeetive. Within four years nearly 1000 of these cases have been released, and this action has resulted in a number of lepers volun traily coming forward for treatment. ■Segregation on a. large scale was undertaken l>y the Germans in -Tanganyika, but'beyond placing some 35500 lepers in more than 40 camps, little was done for them either in the way of proper food supplies or -medical attention. The message we have delivered wherever we have been is that there is now hope of recovery for the early cases if they will take the latest treatments. These injection treatments are being used with success in many parts of East Africa, but so far only about 5500 leper a are being cared for out of the 00,000 who need help. Excellent work is being done, especially by missionary doctors, in some of the places we visited. The most pressing need is for the establishment of treatment centres, where lepers will voluntarily settle for a time. Such centres already exist in the Southern Sudan, in Uganda, in Kenya, in Tanganyika, in Zanzibar, and most of all, in Nyassajland. Good work is also being done in Bnodesia. Government medical officers are keenly alive to the hopefulness of the situation I and if funds are available for Govern- j. nient and missionary work there is no reason why many thousands more leper s should not be treated within the next year or two.

During our tour we ss/xv many Avonders of Nature, but the most lasting impression is of sad marked faces, of broken and bent bodies, of hoarse and sorrowful voices, and these we saw and heard Avherever we Avent. Especially does one remember the child lepers. I know AA'hat the Prince of Wales meant when he told me, after visiting the big leper institution in Basutoland: “1 shall never forget the maVred faee s of the boys and girls.” His'Royal Highness, who is the patron of our British Empire Leprosy Relief Association, felt Avhon he saw those children what all feel A\-ho s ee them —that if anything can be done to help them to recover and any plans can be made to eradicate the disease, it ought to bo undertaken aft once. I have no doubt Avhatever that if the right steps are taken, as I belie\ T e they Avill be as a result of our tour, leprosy can be eradicated from all parts of British East and Central Africa. But a large sum of money Avill be required if this splendid object is to be achieved.