Odd Story Out Of India where, Lepers are manning an old library in Kerala’s Alleppy District.
The library is said to house a huge stock of ancient books, records and a huge stock of 16th century palm leaf manuscripts situated in Alleppy district with a collection of some ancient books, records and palm leaf manuscripts dating back to the 16th century.
Run by the Leprosy Sanatorium, the library is presently home to about 400 lepers who have been tasked with the responsibility of looking after the rare books and manuscripts.
Don’t read if you are easily offended.
I would make a comment about someone spending all day with their nose in a book, but that would just be rude.
Leprosy is uncontrolled in a few countries India included. Brazil is the only nation in the Americas where leprosy has not been controlled. This is remarkably unfortunate as drug therapy can be curative. Early diagnosis and treatment prevent the nerve damage and sensory loss to the extremities that we have heard about in scary stories about leprosy.
Leprosy is caused by a mycobacteria (as is TB) and its treatment uses relatively inexpensive antibiotics (especially when compared to the drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS). The patient is noninfectious soon after beginning treatment. There is no need for leper colonies, or sanatrariums like the one in the article in areas where leprosy is controlled. However the drugs must be taken long term just like treatment for TB, in fact they are often the same drugs because the organisims are so similar.
It is unfortunate that we have not controlled this disease worldwide, but perhaps in time we will. The population density in the areas in which it is uncontrolled is a factor both because infectious patients are in close contacts with others, but also because other needs such as food and shelter regretably must come before medicine. The WHO provides free care, but one must be in a position to avail themselves of this care and poverty prevents that in many cases.
Re:Don’t read if you are easily offended.
It is such a temptation to yell “Shame on you!” for even thinking about that bad joke (“nose in a book!”) but you warned me! Anyways, thanks for the information. I’m really curious about why Brazil isn’t doing something. It’s a dynamic(?) country with lots of economic potential and it’s not a dictatorship (where their government is stealing everything that isn’t nailed down). I know India spends a lot on its military (cause of Pakistan, China, SriLanka) (and it’s no excuse).
Re:Don’t read if you are easily offended.
Thanks for the information–I knew leprosy (or the more contemporary Hansen’s Disease) was readily controlled and non-contagious; I didn’t realize that a handful of nations (Brazil, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, and United Republic of Tanzania, according to the World Health Organization) still don’t fully control it.
We spent a week on Molokai a few years back, and visited the colony there on the Kalaupapa Peninsula (hiking down–the mules weren’t available at the time). It’s a worthwhile trip, both a little depressing and a lot encouraging.
All tours are controlled by the remaining residents of the colony, a few dozen people who have chosen to remain. (You can’t enter Kalaupapa without an invitation from the residents, automatically included in the tour price.) The sadness of how the colony was established (and how people were essentially thrown off boats to populate it) is balanced by the history of sulfa drugs and why the colony is now only populated by a few dozen aging residents. Father Damien’s history is also an essential part of the story.