Daisy Mansfield: The Leprosy Mission

Daisy Mansfield of The Leprosy Mission (“TLM”) was our speaker today.

She explained that leprosy is a disease that can cause the loss of sensation in hands and feet. The loss of feeling means that sufferers do not feel pain when, for example, they step on something sharp or put their hand on a fire. Physical damage can happen before they even know there is a problem. This in turn can lead to permanent impairment and even the loss of a limb.

Leprosy has been regarded as a fearful disease since ancient times, leading to ostracism of sufferers and their families. Despite the widespread belief that it can be transmitted by touch, the infection actuall passes from one person to another through the air and requires quite a long exposure. 95% of the world’s population is immune. The 5% who are vulnerable live in countries with poor standards of hygiene and sanitation.

TLM has been fighting leprosy for the last 140 years, seeking effective treatments and helping sufferers to rebuild their lives. Since Multiple Drug Therapy (“MDT”) was introduced in 1982 leprosy has been completely curable.

They also educate communities about leprosy in an effort to reduce prejudice.

Daisy showed us three short videos. The first explained leprosy in simple terms. The second showed the work done at a facility in Nigeria which builds and fits prosthetic limbs, not only for leprosy sufferers but also for other disabled people. The third described work being done at a research centre in Nepal into ways of preventing, treating and curing the disease.