| ILEP in brief |
|
ILEP is a Federation of 14 autonomous anti-leprosy organisations, which are supporting medical, scientific, social and humanitarian activities for the relief and rehabilitation of persons affected by leprosy. Leprosy is curable: treatment is provided free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and there is no place for isolation and discrimination of those affected.
The approach of ILEP Members is holistic and based on the human rights of all those affected by this disease. ILEP Members collaborate with many partners, including governments, Ministries of Health, researchers, other non-governmental organisations and people who are affected by leprosy. ILEP has official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and works closely with the Global Leprosy Programme based in New Delhi and the Disability and Rehabilitation Unit based in Geneva.
ILEP endorses the current 'WHO Global Leprosy Strategy for Further Reducing the Leprosy Burden' and 'Sustaining Leprosy Control Strategies 2006-2010' and has been involved in developing 'The Enhanced Global Strategy for Further Reducing the Disease Burden Due to Leprosy for the period 2011-2015'. This has set the following target:
Leprosy causes nerve damage and impairments. Inflammation of a nerve can cause serious damage through loss of function. Loss of sensation can lead people to injure themselves while engaged in every day activities. By focussing on treating leprosy early, ILEP and its partners can reduce the chances of the patient developing nerve damage and its consequences.
Whilst the hands and feet are areas most commonly damaged by leprosy, some individuals are affected by lagophthalmos, which prevents them from closing one or both eyes completely leading to blindness.
Another key element of leprosy control focuses on prevention of disability through training individuals in appropriate self-care that can be carried out at home. Increasingly this is being integrated into self-care programmes for other conditions such as diabetes, Buruli ulcer and lymphatic filariasis. Combining such specific measures is cost-effective, improves sustainability and can help reduce stigma related to leprosy.
Various surgical procedures can help correct early damage to hands and feet, reconstruct noses and save the eyesight of people who can no longer close their eyes. ILEP Members and its partners support the provision of such facilities as well as pre- and post-operative care, which involves physiotherapy.
In addition, many ILEP Members finance socio-economic rehabilitation and micro-financing schemes to enable people affected by leprosy to earn their living.
Leprosy is one of the major causes of preventable disability, including impairments, problems in activities in daily life and social exclusion resulting from stigma. In 1997, WHO’s 7th Meeting of its Expert Committee cited two million people as living with a leprosy-related disability. Systematic and reliable cumulative data on this have not been collected. It is possible, therefore, that the number could be higher.
Contact details International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP) Tel: +44 (0)20 7602 9925 Website: http://www.ilep.org.uk Contact person: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
Who we are
 | |