Leprosy Mission Talk

The speaker, Lynda King, started with a joke which is always a good sign. She then went on to tell the very human story of young people who contract Leprosy. The disease is endemic in India and although a great number of people carry the Mycobacterium not everyone will show symptoms which are extremely debilitating – numb hands and feet leading to skin cracking and if not treated the loss of digits. We learned that if caught it can be completely cured however if it is missed it can still be cured but the sufferer will always have lack of feeling in the affected part of the body and the skin will need to be oiled regularly throughout the day. A key factor in the spread of the disease is poor nutrition, lack of hygiene and education. For more details about Leprosy take a look at this Wikipedia link…

At the end of the formal session there were several very good questions however on reflection the questions indicated that the speaker didn’t cover some essential points about Leprosy.

In summary Lynda made a very serious subject interesting and entertaining in a clear, confident and knowledgeable way. Everyone left the hall better informed.

If you have any thoughts about the talk please make a comment…