71st World Leprosy Day : CERAC Communes, Donates To Victims

Members of the Circle of Friends of Cameroon (CERAC) have again expressed love, concern and solidarity to patients and those affected by leprosy. On the occasion of the 71st World Leprosy Day commemorated yesterday, January 28, 2024, members of the humanitarian association created by the First Lady, Chantal Biya, spent their church service hours with victims at the former leprosy colony in Yaounde. It was a veritable moment for CERAC members to commune with this group of people who are usually neglected and stigmatised within the society because of the effects of leprosy on their skin. The occasion also permitted members of CERAC to offer foodstuffs, medicines, toiletries and other basic necessities, to the victims as a way to invest in the fight against discrimination while calling for solidarity as an essential pillar in building a society conducive to the development of disadvantaged people. 
Heading the CERAC’s delegation to the leprosy colony was one of its Vice Presidents, Agnes Amadou Ali who said the fight against leprosy calls for a collective and multisectoral responsibility in a bid to achieve a goal of zero leprosy. The head of the CERAC’s delegation underscored that the First Lady and CERAC Ladies opt for a continuous fight against leprosy because the disease is still among the population. Beyond physical suffering, she underlined that victims suffer from social exclusion. It was noted that everyone is therefore challenged to understand that the elimination of leprosy is only possible if the stigma associated with the disease is also eliminated.
According to the Representative of the World Health Organisation, Dr Etienne Nnomzoo, leprosy is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) still present in more than 120 countries, with more than 200,000 new cases reported each year. The decline in the number of new cases has been gradual. However, he noted that 10,302 new paediatric cases were reported worldwide. It was revealed that thanks to advances in medicine, leprosy is now preventable and treatable, and the treatment is free and available in all health facilities in the country. Although Hansen's bacillus continues to circulate in the country in a residual man...