Annually the last Sunday in January is World Leprosy Day. This
year it fell on January 28. This is also China's Leprosy Day.
China plans to invest 220 million yuan (US$28 million) to build
new leprosy hospitals and renovate old facilities, said Vice
Minister of Health Wang Longde on Sunday.
Wang said the ministry would strengthen cooperation with the
Ministry of Finance, the China Disabled Persons' Federation and
Ministry of Civil Affairs in improving the living conditions and
medical treatment available to leprosy patients.
Wang and other officials visited sufferers in Yunnan Province on World Leprosy Day.
The government has been providing free treatment for leprosy
sufferers. There are 6,300 patients in the country and the number
is increasing by 1,600 a year. Most cases are found in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan and Tibet. Children account for 2.1 percent of new
cases.
Wang praised the efforts and contribution made by the Yunan
provincial government in the prevention and treatment of the
illness. He said there was discrimination against those suffering
from the disease. China's Leprosy Day this year is themed on
eradicating discrimination and building a harmonious society.
The illness, one of the world's oldest recorded diseases was
first mentioned in writing in 600 BC, causes deformities and nerve
damage. It incubates in the body for up to 20 years and is
transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth during contact
with sufferers.
However, it can be cured by a sustained, year-long antibiotic
treatment.
The Chinese government has asked local authorities to wage an
educational campaign about prevention and control of the disease
and called for an end to discrimination against patients.
Last July the Ministry of Health published a leprosy control
plan. They vowed to eradicate the disease in Anhui and Qinghai by 2008 and in Chongqing, Guangdong and Shaanxi by 2010.
(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2007)