People Affected by Leprosy and the COVID-19 Global Crisis

People affected by leprosy have been deeply impacted by the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A working group of the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy (GPZL) entitled Emergency advocacy for persons affected by leprosy hosted regional calls with 19 organisations of persons affected, as well as individuals, to gather their perspectives on their needs and challenges during the COVID-19 health crisis.

The working group found that, across geographies, some major concerns were consistently being talked about. These included access to health care, access to basic goods like food, clean water and soap, access to government support, access to stable livelihoods, access to information about COVID-19, and the impact of situations where the vulnerability of persons affected by leprosy is made worse by other vulnerabilities such as age, gender, stigma and mental health issues.

This month the working group has issued a comprehensive report which provides a depth of insight into these concerns, and includes a set of ten recommendations that NGOs and governments can take to address the needs and challenges of persons affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Particularly pertinent to ILEP members are recommendations about supporting grassroots organisations of persons affected in the COVID-19 context, supporting coalitions of grassroots organisations to elevate their voice, working with them to map the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and available solutions and resources, and liaising with National Leprosy Programmes to ensure access to the continuum of care for persons affected, including access to leprosy reaction treatment, and the resumption of wound care services and self-care groups as soon as possible.