Leprosy mailing list – September 9^th, 2006

 

Ref.:     Reorganization and rehabilitation models for former leprosy colony-hospitals

From:   Talhari S., Manaus, Brazil

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Dear Dr Noto,

 

Regarding the Leprosy Mailing List – July 26^th, 2006 (de Pinho Andrade J.E.).  I have the following considerations:

1.

It is a very interesting idea to see what happened to the colonies that were closed many years ago.  In the state of Amazonas the colony was reorganized in 1979 and no longer accepted new patients.  We had more than 1,000 patients (1).  There were many problems during the reorganization but the results could be considered good after these 27 years.

2.

In the very beginning of the reorganization the population from Manaus, the capital city of the state, was afraid of an invasion of lepers (there are many pages in the press from that period).  What happened was exactly the contrary – many people from Manaus built their houses near their relatives in the area of the colony.  It was a relatively big area.  The space was “invaded” and now it is nearly impossible to recognize the place where were the main buildings of the colony.

3.

We were very few people working for the leprosy control programme (prevalence of more than

12/1 000) at that time and with the changes in the colony we had more resources to put in the leprosy control in the state.  Nowadays the leprosy control programme in our state is among the best in Brazil.

4.

Regarding the prostitution, water pollution, drug trafficking, violence …. It is not necessary to go to the colony, it is not necessary to come to Manaus, it is only a question to stop near any Brazilian airport, go to the first community and give a look to see what is going on there.

5.

I found the project a very interesting idea in order to review what happened in different places.  I am not sure if there is an  “… on-going process in Brazil to restructure these hospitals… “.  In our place this process happened many years ago and I think that there is no need to restructure the colony.  Of course we need to see these old patients (most of them are disabled) and try to give them the best we can.  But unfortunately, they live in one of the countries with the lowest HDI in the world,

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Sinésio Talhari 

Department of Dermatology/Institute of Tropical Medicine

Manaus, Brazil

 

(1)      Talhari S et al. Hanseníase no Estado do Amazonas: histórico e desativação do leprosário.  An Bras Dermatol 1981; 56: 179-184