EI: The leprosy colony in Abu Zaabal, Qalyubiya Governorate, is almost a century old. In that time it has received patients from all over Egypt – some who came voluntarily for treatment, while others were isolated forcibly to stop them from spreading the disease.
All of them have stayed there until their last breath.
The accounts of pain and suffering in this colony all share a common thread: the patients say they suffer more from stigma and isolation than they do the disease itself.
It is these stories that reveal how misunderstandings about leprosy, and the cruel treatment of those suffering from it, has ostracized them from society and even their own families! MORE
I’d rather have a household leper in the family than a prog-lib-commie wokester Barky/HRod/Joey voter. Proper use of antiseptics, hygeine, and antibiotics handles the former, but the latter can’t be helped without the kind of medicine that requires high-velocity administration.
When I was a kid one of the Easter(?) movies came out and had a scene of lepers. It really creeped me out. Ben Hur, 10 Commandments?
The stigma of psoriasis/eczema can be pretty bad in our culture. Hell even dandruff makes you a pariah here, remember all those shampoo commercials? People want perfection.
@Anon — Ben Hur
Reminds us of how
blessed we are.
Leprosy is treatable with simple antibiotics. Why are these people left to suffer?
I wish “beachmom” would catch leprosy.
Leper Colony …a B-17 in Twelve O’Clock High, right?
Seriously, why talk about Egypt when we have leper colonies in Louisiana and Hawaii?