'VICTORY OVER LEPROSY IS WITHIN OUR GRASP', SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS OPENING OF EXHIBIT 'QUEST FOR DIGNITY' AT HEADQUARTERS

30 October 1997

Press Release
SG/SM/6373

'VICTORY OVER LEPROSY IS WITHIN OUR GRASP', SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS OPENING OF EXHIBIT 'QUEST FOR DIGNITY' AT HEADQUARTERS

19971030 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Kofi Annan Stresses Not Only Medical Treatment of Leprosy Sufferers, but Also Dignity That Is Birthright of Every Person on Earth

Following is the statement by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the opening of the multimedia exhibit "Quest for dignity: a victory over leprosy/Hansen's disease", at United Nations Headquarters today:

Since time immemorial, people have feared leprosy. They did not understand what caused the disease, or how it progressed through the body. All they knew was that rather than killing its victim, it led to a slow physical degradation, starting with the loss of sensation in a skin patch and ending in grossly deformed limbs.

The dread inspired by this disease meant that sufferers were not only segregated; they were treated as less than human. There was no effective treatment; the disabled had no means of making a living; they were condemned to a lifetime of exclusion and isolation; respect for their human rights was nil. This was the case from ancient Egyptian and biblical times right through the first half of this century.

It was not until the 1950s that a cure became possible in the form of dapsone. Over the years, newer and better drugs evolved into the multi-drug- therapy, or MDT, that we use today.

MDT proved successful -- so successful that, in 1991, member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) made a formal commitment to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem by the year 2000. This means reducing the incident to less than one case per 10,000 population

There have been many successes since. Some of them can be seen in the illustrations at this exhibition. In the early 1980s, there were an estimated 12 million cases of leprosy; today, there are an estimated 1.15 million.

But this exhibition also tells the human story. Far too many people with leprosy are still ostracized by their own communities; indeed, by their own families.

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The displays here enable us to picture the loss of human rights and dignity that adds an intolerable load to the sufferer's burden.

The fight is not over yet. But it is winnable. There are enough men and women of goodwill who can spread the word that leprosy is curable, and that leprosy sufferers need not -- must not -- be shunned. They are joined every day by former patients, fully cured, who can help take that message across the world. Unless the message reaches every continent, every country, every village, every patient, the disease will prevail in dangerous pockets.

The title of this exhibition is "Quest for Dignity". Victory over leprosy is within our grasp. Let us ensure that sufferers are accorded not only the proper medical treatment, but also the dignity that is the birthright of every person on this earth.

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