![]() Since 1975, The Nippon Foundation and Sasakawa Health Foundation have supported the national leprosy programs of endemic countries through the WHO, with support totaling some US$200 million to date. ![]() The Initiative ( ) is a strategic alliance between WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination Yohei Sasakawa ( ), The Nippon Foundation ( ) and Sasakawa Health Foundation ( ) for achieving a world without leprosy and problems related to the disease. The discrimination they face limits their opportunities for education, employment and full participation in society.Ībout Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen's Disease) Initiative In various parts of the world, patients, those who have been treated and cured, and even their family members continue to be stigmatized. Many myths and misunderstandings surround the disease. An estimated 3 to 4 million people are thought to be living with some form of disability as a result of leprosy. Leprosy is curable with multidrug therapy, but left untreated can result in permanent disability. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted case-finding activities, over 200,000 new cases were being reported annually. Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is an infectious disease that mainly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. Please visit for the details of the event, including the program and how to register. The music foundation is a sister foundation of The Nippon Foundation, whose chairman, Yohei Sasakawa, also serves as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. It will also feature a Stradivarius mini concert in cooperation with the Nippon Music Foundation. The conference will include a poster exhibition consisting of an academic poster session ( ) and a session on best practices shared by organizations of persons affected by Hansen's disease ( ). Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO (video), Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (video) and Ingvild Kjerkol, Minister of Health and Care Services, Norway. Special dignitaries scheduled to deliver messages at the event include Dr. The Bergen International Conference on Hansen's Disease: 150 Years Since the Discovery of the Leprosy Bacillus brings together key stakeholders in the leprosy field for sessions focused on medical challenges, human rights and dignity, and history preservation-the three pillars on which the Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen's Disease) Initiative structures its activities against the disease. Achieving this goal will require close collaboration between partners, which the Bergen meeting aims to foster. Many countries and international organizations, led by the World Health Organization, now aim to achieve zero leprosy-zero disease, zero disability and zero discrimination. However, around 200,000 new cases are still reported worldwide each year, while deep-rooted misconceptions about leprosy persist, contributing to continued stigma and discrimination, and acting as a barrier to case detection by discouraging those who suspect they have the disease from seeking treatment. When Hansen discovered the bacillus-the first time a pathogen had been identified as the cause of disease in humans-leprosy was endemic in Norway and present throughout much of Europe, but today transmission of the disease has ended in most parts of the continent.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |