The Bergen International Conference on Hansen’s Disease: 150 Years Since the Discovery of the Leprosy Bacillus (Opening)
Minister Ingvild Kjerkol, Ministry of Health and Care Services, Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Kawamura, Rector Margareth Hagen, University of Bergen, Mayor Lin Kristin Eago, City of Bergen, Dr. Hansen’s great grandson Mr. Abbi Patrix, distinguished guests and participants. I share my heartfelt joy with all of you to celebrate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Hansen’s epoch-making discovery of the Mycobacterium leprae, a causative agent of leprosy, and to free the world of leprosy and associated discrimination and stigma.
Until the great discovery of Dr. Hansen, even in the days when communication and transportation technologies were not as developed as today, leprosy was detested by the entire world believed to be a divine punishment or hereditary disease. Once affected, patients were segregated to remote areas and islands for life.
However, the discovery of leprosy bacillus by Dr. Hansen one hundred and fifty years ago brought a light of hope to those living in the darkest sentence of social isolation and discrimination. My thoughts go back to many achievements witnessed in the one hundred and fifty years between this historic discovery and today.
Since from when leprosy was revealed to be a weak infectious disease, we have seen great efforts made by medical professionals to develop anti-leprosy drugs for eighty years. They include the development of Promin drug therapy that stopped the progression of nerve damage and haled as “miracle of Carville” to a more effective sulfone, Dapsone.
Yet the number of Dapsone-resistant bacillus cases increased, and further research continued until the WHO medical team recommended the treatment regimen consisting of multiple drugs as single anti-leprosy drug tended to increase drug resistance. The result was the development of the multidrug therapy, or MDT. Since the development of MDT leprosy became totally curable with early detection and treatment. This gave the persons affected by leprosy great hope and about sixteen million patients have been treated over the past forty years.
These accomplishments may lead you to believe that leprosy is a disease of the past. Unfortunately, leprosy is an on-going disease. Even today there are more than two hundred thousand new cases of leprosy recorded annually. In addition, I believe there remain the harsh social stigma and discrimination around the world affecting tens of millions of patients and their family members. This was recognized as a human right issue by the United Nations and the then one hundred and ninety-two member states unanimously adopted the resolution to eliminate all forms of discrimination towards persons affected by leprosy and their family members, at the General Assembly in two thousand ten. However, it is only the first step in the fight against discrimination.
More importantly social stigma and discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their families that have persisted since the days of The Old Testament still exist today. It has resulted in the deprivation of their human rights and there are still no concrete measures to address it. In addition, hundred and thirty nine outdated discriminatory laws are still exist in twenty four countries, including the so-called developed countries. Furthermore, persons affected by leprosy are not only rejected by their families and society as no other disease but continue to be referred to in terms of leprosy, such as “former patients” or “recovered patients” even after being completely cured of the disease. This is clearly a serious human rights issue which must not be left unresolved. We must take immediate action. I have no doubt that we can do it.
I say this with a firm conviction because of what I have learned as I traveled to leprosy sites from jungles to deserts to remote islands in more than one hundred and twenty countries over the past fifty years. That is that passion and future-oriented action can bring change to the world. Dr. Hansen, Father Damian, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, they are the people who have given hope to many and have changed the world. Let us continue their work of dedication and their historic endeavor.
Distinguished guest and participants, I here now, renew my promise as I made on the day that I visited a Korean leprosarium with my father half a century ago, to dedicate my remaining days to follow in my late father’s footsteps to eliminate discrimination and stigma against leprosy and the creation of a world without leprosy. Thank you very much.