Leper Outcasts - India

Sep 1999
On the streets of India, the outstretched begging hands of those crippled by leprosy is still a common site. Over half a million people suffer from various forms of the disease.

While globally medicine has had a major impact in preventing Leprosy it's still proving difficult to eradicate. In a culture that widely considers leprosy as divine intervention, the atonement for past sins, carriers are reluctant to seek treatment until it's too late. And so the government has mobilised an operation to seek out the infected while it's still early enough to prescribe effective treatment. "Looking for cases in the villages is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack," despairs a doctor but after screening a phenomenal 200,000 people they have successfully treated 45 new cases of leprosy. Equipped with casebooks cataloguing horrific photos of leper's lesions and withered limbs, the doctors shock villagers into succumbing to the tests, despite the possible humiliation. "When they told me I had leprosy I cried. I knew that people would reject me and they have. They see that I am ill - they see it on my hands and the infection of my feet." The crisis facing countries like India is rehabilitating these people back into society. And as long as prejudice rules many will continue to be treated as the social outcasts of old.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• leprosy
• poverty
• disease
• India
• horrific
• photos
• prejudice
• medicine
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
• journeyman
• journeyman pictures

[mistofoles]

Whoa! Check out the guy at 3:18! LSD jacket!!

[bobafette786]

Ignorance and illiteracy thats the main reason.a small correction ,Karma has nothing to do with it.

[humanbiofan]

@newhavenstudent1 you are a fucking moron, aren't you?

[huggison]

0:31 Internet explorer click sound

[soni4126]

Looking at some of the comments, I've realized just how hard some people's hearts are when it comes to seeing other people's suffering

[ThelandiaSherbrook]

Why?

[oOFamousLastWordsOo]

there are some heartless people here on youtube aren't there? :/

[newhavenstudent1]

fukin lepers. i say they need to find a cure now. or else some bodys gonna start killin them all.

[serjownsyou]

HAHA THIS VIDEO MAKES ME LAUGH

[NeoFalcon69]

You are an idiot - there was discrimination against Leapers in Europe during the middle ages up to the early 20th century.

Discrimination against such people is not only an Indian problem but a worldwide problem. Have some pity and realise these people do have feelings.