Lepra and Lepra Society presented a united front at this year’s International Leprosy Conference.
Our Inclusion for All theme was spotlighted in our Inclusion poster displayed at the event. Alongside this, our poster titled, Community Centred Strategies in Leprosy Programming reinforced our commitment to inclusive, locally-driven approaches.
In line with high level efforts to raise awareness of the impact of leprosy on children, Taslima Akter (Chair of Bogura Federation), Polu Waheduzzaman (Mind to Heart Programme Manager, Bangladesh), and Maria del Mar Marais (UK Senior Programme Manager) co-presented a powerful session exploring an often-overlooked dimension of the disease: how children experience leprosy-related stigma and discrimination.
Taslima stood out as one of the few people affected by leprosy to present at the conference —a significant milestone. As her first experience outside Bangladesh, she did a sterling job in powerfully conveying the unique challenges faced by children affected by leprosy.
Lepra Society was represented at the conference by Prasant Kumar Naik, Arun Kumar, Rajni Singh, and Michael Sukumar. Staff delivered two key presentations:
The team also shared two posters:
1. Impact of NIKUSHT Data Strengthening Project, Telangana State, India.
2. Results of Aspire’s RES Model
Representatives from the board also attended including Trustee Observer, Professor Diana Lockwood who presented on the use of Thalidomide for leprosy reaction management and advocated for the need for new treatment regimes.
Steve Walker presented on the role of methotrexate as a corticosteroid-sparing agent in leprosy reactions.
