Kathmandu: Chairperson of The Nipp0n foundation, Yohei Sasakawa, who has involved in the leprosy eradication campaign across the globe, has said timely treatment of the leprosy helps us prevent from becoming disabled.
Early detection of symptoms and timely treatment are essential to prevent people from falling lifelong victim to the leprosy, Yohei said. He is currently in Nepal visit.
“The fear and social blight associated with the disease needs to be changed. We are yet to work a lot to end discrimination caused by the social stigma,” he stressed, sharing the vision that they were for the world where there is complete absence of leprosy.
The Nippon Foundation has been providing support to the anti-leprosy programmes in various countries through the World Health Organization since 1975.
He has been devoted to this campaign for the last 40 years. Yohei has also been serving as goodwill ambassador of the Japanese government since 2007. He is also the goodwill ambassador of the World Health Organization for
eradication of leprosy since 2001.
Yohei delegation meets PM Oli
Meanwhile, the delegation led by Yohei met Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at the latter’s residence, Baluwatar, on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Yohei briefed PM about the initiatives made for the eradication of leprosy.
PM Oli thanked Yohei for his untiring contribution to end leprosy in Nepal.
The delegation also held meeting with Minister for Health and Population, Pradeep Paudel.
A leprosy survey was conducted for the first time in 1960. The dopsone monotherapy was applied to treat leprosy disease in Nepal in 1966.
Similarly, a roadmap of zero leprosy was prepared in 2021.
However, a total of 2,522 new cases of leprosy were found in Nepal in the fiscal year, 2079/80. Currently, 34 districts have zero cases of leprosy.
The leprosy is still prevalent in over 120 countries across the world.
Source: National News Agency Nepal