Banna!

i'm gng to Banna!!! so exciting!!! hv been lookin for an excuse to go back for e longest time!! my flight leaves on the 5th Sept n i will be back on the 19th.. will spend a few days in KM too.. :)

programme is to visit leprosy villages and pull teeth.. Sam will onli get bk on 6th so i hv to whirwind fly to office and pack everything and we'll be good to go on the 6th!!!!!!!!

foot note: if ever any of u get to visit a leprosy village, no fear, they have been cured for decades. 2 weeks of medication after diagnosis will render u non-contagious. New patients these days are merely cured in their homes after discovery. perhaps the term 'leprosy village' is a misnomer.. its more like 'physical rehab village' for ex-leprosy patients.

The leprosy village residents only remain there cos in the olden days, they would be rejected by the community if they returned to their home village, and even now, the level of awareness is low in many villages and there is still a stigma attached to these cured patients, which would socially even affect their children and grandchildren. also in the leprosy village, they receive care for their permanent nerve damage that often result in disablities.

example, if the nerves of their eyes had been damaged due to delay in treatment and diagnosis previously, they need to be taught to blink after a lorry passes by, or else they could get eye infection and blindness as they cant feel that some dust has gotten into their eye.

the ironic thing to me is that leprosy, which like tuberculosis, is such a treatable disease in these days, its like nothing, jus take medicine. but the stigma of this disease is so great it is comparable to AIDS. Surely we all need more education.. for the residents need more care and compassion than our ignorant fear.. ignorance is not bliss, it can do a lot of harm.

like the most Wonderful One says.. 'knowledge of the truth will set you free..'