Letters to The Editor — September 25, 2024

Israeli strikes

Israel’s attack on Lebanon, killing hundreds of innocents including women and children, is shocking. Tel Aviv seems emboldened by an indifferent world to unleash attacks on the pretext of self-defence. With the superpowers preferring to wait and watch, the UN is turning out to be practically ineffective.

K.S. Venkitachalam,

Kalpathy, Palakkad, Kerala

The leprosy fight

Leprosy, a long-lasting infectious disease, if not detected and treated early, leads to disability. It is still prevalent. But Jordan has become the first country globally to have eliminated leprosy — a momentous achievement that was confirmed by the World Health Organization on September 19, 2024. Jordan’s success is the result of years of public health campaigns, early detection, free treatment and community education. Its achievement spells hope for the rest of the world to put an end to this stigmatised ancient affliction. India has to learn from Jordan even though it is free from this disease according to WHO criterion — less than one case per 10,000 population. But the existence of the disease in the population in small numbers is a public health challenge.

Dr. V. Purushothaman,

Chennai

Published - September 25, 2024 12:24 am IST