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MORE LEPROSY (HANSEN'S DISEASE) LINKS
FORUM ON LEPROSY - PLEASE SHARE
PHOTOS OF DEFORMITIES OF LEPROSY - SPARE THEM A KIND THOUGHT
LEPROSY DOWN THROUGH THE AGES - HISTORICAL ASPECTS
WOMBAT SEARCH MACHINE <> SITES ON "LEPROSY" ALREADY AVAILABLE
LEPROSY - MORE INTERESTING LINKS
We would be interested to know how you found us. If you have the time, please email us at - keithskilli@ozemail.com.au - and inform us just how we may improve this site. Perhaps you came via INTERNATIONAL BENEVOLENT SERVICES, the charitable organisation through which we support leprosy sufferers and other needy people.
Maybe you found us through ourFamily Web-Site or there is a possibility that you reached us through our main leprosy site. However you may have come, matters little; we are happy to have you that you may gain a real awareness of the great needs of those who suffer, unnecessarily, from this totally curable disease, with deformities, ulcerations and disabilities that are completely preventable. In general terms, one of the best sites where you may gain a simple understanding of what leprosy (Hansen's Disease of H.D.) is NOT, is "leprosy" in the Bible. Unfortunately, due to a strange concept some people have of the nature of God, combined with religious superstition, victims of H.D. still are cruelly stigmatised, for which reason, many suffer also frompsychological trauma. While leprosy is a very ancient disease, its historical roots are not found only in the Bible, which, in fact, does not specifically inform us about leprosy as we know it today. Maybe it would be helpful to know what history apart from the Bible, has to tell us about the disease. Perhaps, at this juncture, it would be good for us to note theaetiology of the word "leprosy". The Leprosy Mission has published a helpful"20 Questions about Leprosy" that will give you a good, basic understanding of H.D.. If you want to know more along those lines, please access our"Virtual Library on Leprosy". Speaking of libraries, reminds me to inform you that we operate a cyberspacial bookshop in association with one of the Internet's most prestigious book-sellers - AMAZON.COM - By purchasing your books on leprosy, or any other subject, from our web-site, you enable us to gain commission which is dedicated to caring for leprosy sufferers through International Benevolent Services. Please access AMAZON.COM
It will be helpful to study the immunity of Leprosy where it will be noted that there is a immunological spectrum with lepromatous leprosy being at the infectious end of the spectrum and the tuberculoid type being at the non-infectious end. Now-a-days, the infectious types are referred to as "Multibacilliary" and the non-infectious forms are called "Paucibacilliary" . Between these two "polar" types, there are the "borderline" types, ranging from borderline lepromatous (BL), true borderline (BB), and borderline tuberculoid. Outside the immunological spectrum, there is the "Indeterminate" type which could progress into the infectious lepromatous types or resolve because the body's immune system is overcoming the infection. In fact, many who are invaded by the leprosy bacillus - M.leprae - never contract the disease as such, with all its nerve damage when untreated, because the body's defence cells ingest and digest the bacilli. That brings us to mention the treatment of the disease, now called "multidrug therapy (M.D.T.)", using specificdrugs.
You may like to read about the W.H.O.'s latest anti-leprosy Multi-Drug-Therapy regimen,especially in treating those patients who are prone to "Reactions" and Neuritis which can result in serious nerve damage when unskilled medicos are in charge. It is important to understand the need to give"health Education" or "prevention of Disability" (P.O.D.) information that patients may learn how to protect their anaesthetic hands, feet, eyes, etc.. Actually, if P.O.D. education is given in the very earliest stages of the disease, there is no need for costly physiotherapy and still more expensive reconstructive surgery. Of course, the secret in eliminating this disease to to exercise highly efficientleprosy control programs. I have used the word "elimination" and you may be wondering if that is possible. Yes, it is, and the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) has a specificprogram of elimination to bring the prevalence of the disease down to less than one case per 10,000 population, a level where leprosy will no longer be called a public health problem. You may access the W.H.O. by going to the bottom of the page and clicking on to "other links" in our "Forum on Leprosy". Also, while you are there, you may email us at - keith_skilli@yahoo.com - The disease will remain, well into the 21st. century but, providing general health workers learn how to identify H.D,. in the very early stages, it eventually will be possible to eradicate H.D., just as Smallpox has been eradicated. In view of this, it is essential that all medical personnel be trained in the diagnosis of leprosy. However, because early and late, untreated H.D., can mimic about 30 odd conditions that can appear very much like leprosy, it also is necessary for all medical workers to become skilled indifferential diagnosis because, due to the associated stigma, it is a crime to falsely diagnose persons as having H.D., when, in fact, they may have another condition. I strongly recommend that you keep in touch with the Global Situation regarding leprosy through information provided by both W.H.O. and ILEP (International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Organisations of which The Leprosy Mission (TLM) is one of the 20 odd members. Epidemiological Reports are regularly provided by I.L.E.P.. Also, check-out the W.H.O. statistics covering the "The Challenge of Leprosy" access Chapter 10 TLM has conducted some interesting research concerning how women are affected by leprosy. You may like to check it out. Please also visit "THE VILLAGE OF HOPE" , being conducted by "The HOPE Foundation" .It is bringing comfort and peace to many leprosy sufferers around Delhi.
TAIWAN LEPROSY RELIEF ASSOCIATION This organisation is a Member of ILEP, offering outstanding service with Love, Compassion and Confidentiality.
TO SEE WHAT YAHOO HAS TO SAY ABOUT "LEPROSY" JUST CLICK ON THE YAHOO LOGO BELOW, TYPE IN THE WORD - LEPROSY - AND HIT THE "FIND" BUTTON.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at - keith_skilli@yahoo.com - if you have any questions
One of the best SEARCH ENGINES for "LEPROSY" is # "METAFIND" - which has a huge range. Go for it.
We invite you to share in our DELPHI / SKILLICORN "FORUM ON LEPROSY".
To join as a Member to share in discussions,just CLICK HERE TO INFORM US BY EMAIL US. Otherwise, you are welcome to visit as our Guest to view the Bulletin Board. Just FIND the Forum by going to the top browser bar and clicking-on "Find Forums" and then, on the next page top-left, search for forum named - "lepforum".
# VILLAGE OF JOY LEPROSY PROJECT IN PUNE, INDIA - is a fine leprosy project we would recommend that you visit. They have a full-orbed concern for leprosy sufferers, meeting their needs for treatment and rehabilitation. They would love you to pay their site a visit and email them to express your opinion of their work.
# CLICK HERE TO SHARE IN DISCUSSION RELATING TO INDIAN CURRENT EVENTS - this site will interest those who are keen to preserve India's Secular and Multi-cultural nature of which we all are so very proud.
"LEPROSY REVIEW" is one of the finest academic magazines being produced on the subject of leprosy and at this site you may read articles from June 1997 to the present time.
# THE LEPROSY MISSION CELEBRATING 125 YEARS OF CARING FOR LEPROSY PATIENTS
LEPROSY FORUM "alt.support.leprosy" HOSTED BY GOOGLE
# CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE IMMUNOLOGY OF LEPROSY
AVAIL OF OUR FFA-LINKS CHRISTIAN CHARITIES PAGE TO ADVERTISE YOUR OWN SITE AS WELL AS THE NEEDS OF THOSE AFFECTED BY LEPROSY
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF ANTI-LEPROSY ASSOCIATIONS (ILEP) - here is an abundance of resource material.
AGE IS NO BARRIER - IF I CAN DO IT SO CAN YOU !
PICTURES OF DEFORMITIES IN LEPROSY - ALL THESE DEFORMITIES ARE PREVENTABLE - LEPROSY IS CURABLE
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