VOA常速英语2007-Liberia Health Campaign Battles Stigma of Lepros

By Kari Barber¹
Dakar
30 October 2007

Health workers in Liberia say it has been difficult to battle leprosy in the country and treat those who have it, because of the stigma² associated with the disease³.  It has long been a local belief that the illness - which deforms⁴ the victim's skin, fingers and toes - is a mystical thing, and not something that can be cured by science.  Health officials say that is beginning to change because of a new education campaign.  Kari Barber reports from our West Africa bureau⁵ in Dakar with additional⁶ reporting by Prince Collins.

"I have seen some people who had leprosy and they carry them into the forest and their family would just go there to feed them," recalled⁷ leprosy patient Paul Boduo.  "That is what they used to do to leprosy men."

Paul Boduo, a leprosy patient at a Monrovia clinic says he remembers when families would carry their loved ones with leprosy into the forest and leave them there.

Director for the Leprosy Control Program Larwuo Gwesa says the disease has been difficult to treat, because people often try to hide it as long as possible, afraid of being abandoned.

Gwesa says the campaign teaches that leprosy is a disease that can be treated with medicine.

She says she believes the message is reaching people based on the number of family members who are coming to leprosy centers to visit victims.

"Before then when you had leprosy people do not visit you, but because of what we are doing, carrying out massive⁸ health education, people are visiting their patients," she said.

Gwesa says this means a lot to the patients.

"Through health education we are carrying out, people are coming to realize that if you have leprosy you can still be loved," she added.

Patient Boduo says having support from family and community is critical for leprosy victims who often can no longer provide for themselves.

"When you got leprosy you cannot work for yourself," he said.  "You cannot do anything for yourself.  This disease is very, very dangerous. Something you were able to do, it makes you not able to do it.  And you need a supporter to support you.  Without a supporter you will die."

Boduo says he is happy about the campaign to battle the stigma, because he feels like he lost his whole life when he got leprosy.

"This leprosy disease is not a disease that allows you to do any other jobs for yourself, even farming," he added.  "I am a farmer, since many years ago I have not cleaned around my cocoa farm since and now all of the cocoas are left in the bush and now I am in Monrovia.  Without a brother I would not live."

There are more than 200 leprosy clinics in Liberia.  Health officials say it is hard for the medical system, which was nearly non-existent after years of civil war, to manage all of the cases.

They say the effectiveness of the campaign is also evident⁹ by the number of people who have come to clinics to receive treatment.  About 430 new cases were reported in the first six months of this year, more than the number reported in all of 2007.  Officials say it is not an increase in instances¹⁰ of the disease, but rather a reduction¹¹ of the stigma that has encouraged people to come forward.

1 barber   

n.理发员，美容师

参考例句：

• She asked the barber to crop her hair short.她叫理发师把她的头发剪短了。
• My Mum took me to the barber's.我妈带我理发去了。

2 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

3 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

4 deforms   

使变形，使残废，丑化( deform的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Bad rheumatoid arthritis deforms limbs. 严重的类风湿性关节炎会造成四肢变形。
• The specimen deforms under a tensile stress applied parallel to the fibres. 试样在平行于纤维的张应力作用下发生变形。

5 bureau   

n.提供或收集消息的机构；局，司，处；署

参考例句：

• The weather bureau makes daily reports on weather conditions.气象局每天报告天气状况。
• The Tourist Bureau arranged everything for our journey to Rome.旅游局已为我们去罗马旅行准备了一切。

6 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

7 recalled   

回忆起( recall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使想起； 使想到； 勾起

参考例句：

• I recalled that he had mentioned the problem once. 我回忆起他曾经有一次提到过这个问题。
• The sight recalled the days of childhood to me. 那情景使我回忆起童年。

8 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

9 evident   

adj.明显的，显然的，明白的

参考例句：

• It's evident to me that they have no experience in this work.在我看来，他们干这项工作没有经验是显而易见的。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

10 instances   

n.例子，实例( instance的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report highlights a number of instances of injustice. 这篇报道重点列举了一些不公正的实例。
• I can cite quite a few instances to illustrate. 我可以举出好几件事来说明。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 reduction   

n.减少，减低，减缩；减少，减低

参考例句：

• Reduction in income tax will be welcomed with open arms.减少所得税将受到热烈欢迎。
• You will have a reduction for cash.付现金可以打折扣。