This is a picture of a Beggar in Burma yesterday who may have had leprosy but hard to tell with out actually examining him more closely.
Friday Dr. Trevor Smith finished up on Dermatology issues. He is also a specialist in Leprosy! That is right, Leprosy. Dr. Smith is an Australian Dr. who has worked and lived in Chiang Mai for the past 32 yrs. He is in charge of a leprosy hospital just outside of town but they don't have many patients anymore. The treatment of leprosy is very good and very few people get the disease in the first place. So with a lot of good treatment available in Thailand Dr. Smith and his hospital are changing their focus to a rehab hospital. They are changing the old leper colony housing into assisted or independent living facilities. However, in Burma leprosy is still a problem. There are active leprosy colonies and almost no treatment available. The patients have a negative stigma attached to them and are usually rejected by their communities and even their families. Perhaps with the knowledge our Barefoot Dr students now possess there will be a few more patients that get the proper diagnosis and treatment. This may then prevent the horrible deformities that can happen.
Dr. Trevor Smith teaching with Abraham translating.
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