The following ILEP Member is supporting anti-leprosy activities in South Africa:
TLMI

The Leprosy Mission’s Anti-Leprosy Work in Southern Africa

An auxiliary of the Leprosy Mission was established in Johannesburg in 1949, which at that time was responsible for the then Northern (Zambia) and Southern (Zimbabwe) Rhodesia, Swaziland, Bechuanaland (Botswana), Basotholand (Lesotho), South West Africa (Namibia) and South Africa. The Mission was lead by the visionary pioneer, the Revd Reginald Ford.

The Mission initially concentrated on supporting the efforts of governments and organisations already working with leprosy patients in southern Africa.

The Leprosy Mission began to advocate a new approach to leprosy in the region during the 1970s and by the time that the WHO formally recommended the adoption of fixed duration MDT in 1982, the Leprosy Mission had become active in establishing ambulatory treatment programmes for leprosy patients in partnership with local governments. The emphasis of these programmes was on providing treatment for patients at their homes where they would be able to continue in employment and so on without the disruption of lengthy stays in far-off hospitals.

At the beginning of the 1980s, there were four institutions specifically dedicated to the treatment of leprosy patients in South Africa. In most cases, leprosy patients were expected to stay at such an institution to receive their initial treatment. The last of these hospitals closed in 1997.

Leprosy treatment is now provided to leprosy patients via programmes run jointly by the Provincial Departments of Health in South Africa and the Leprosy Mission.

Leprosy patients receive MDT via their nearest provincial hospital or clinic, usually on a day designated for a leprosy ‘clinic’, usually supervised by personnel from The Leprosy Mission.

Leprosy Mission personnel visit leprosy patients at their homes to advise them on self-care activities and also to examine household contacts for signs of leprosy. The Leprosy Mission also runs various awareness activities for the community and health professionals.

More information about The Leprosy Mission International’s anti-leprosy work in South Africa can be found on their website: http://www.leprosymission.co.za/