World Leprosy Day: Partners Unite To Dignify Victims

Despite the actual health crisis, the First Lady of Cameroon, Founding President of CERAC did not deviate from a valued tradition; which is that of reaching out to victims of leprosy and their families. In this light, members of her charitable association: the Circle of Friends of Cameroon (CERAC), alongside other partners gathered on January 30, 2022 at the former leprosy home located near the Yaounde Jamot Hospital to communion with victims of leprosy. This was on the occasion of the 69th World Leprosy Day commemorated on the theme, “United for Dignity” and the 3rd edition of the World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day under the theme, “Achieving health equity to end the neglect of poverty-related diseases”. The ceremony was organized by CERAC and the Ministry of Public Health. Heading the CERAC delegation was Micheline Ayang, one of the Vice-Presidents of CERAC. The Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Health, Professor Louis Richard Ndjock, represented the ministry.  
In spite of the progress made in the fight against leprosy, many Cameroonians are still affected by the disease. Micheline Ayang said patients and their families are still faced with the problem of social exclusion, discrimination and persistent stigmatisation. She noted that leprosy is not a source of shame or prejudice, for it is time for people to change their mentality towards victims of leprosy and seek medical care. “We must fight the obstacles that prevent affected people and their families from living with dignity and enjoying all their fundamental rights as full members of the society”, Micheline Ayang underscored. She reiterated that it was time for people to take action to fight against leprosy, which is a disease that aggravates the state of poverty in anybody it affects. She added that it was also time to act to reduce the impact of neglected tropical diseases in Cameroon which also cause stigmatization and social exclusion. Fortunately, the Head of CERAC’s delegation said health education, vaccination, multifaceted detection and generous drug donations help reduce the number of cases of leprosy in the society. It is within these backdrops that she said the foodstuffs and other essentials from CERAC wi...