02613nas a2200385   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653001500051653001000066653001000076653001100086653001100097653001100108653001000119653001900129653001200148653002500160653002500185653000900210653001300219653001600232653001700248653002100265653001000286100001500296700001100311700001000322245004900332856008600381300001000467490000700477050001700484520171200501022001402213       1996                            d  c199610aAdolescent10aAdult10aChild10aFamily10aFemale10aHumans10aIndia10aLeper Colonies10aleprosy10aLeprosy, lepromatous10aLeprosy, Tuberculoid10aMale10aMarriage10aSex Factors10aSocial Class10aSocial Isolation10aWomen1 aVlassoff C1 aKhot S1 aRao S00aDouble jeopardy: women and leprosy in India.  uhttp://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/54273/1/WHSQ_1996_49_2__p120-126_eng.pdf  a120-60 v49  aVLASSOFF19963 a<p>This article presents evidence from two states of India, Bihar and Maharashtra, on the process of "dehabilitation" among male and female leprosy patients, and suggests gender-sensitive interventions to address existing problems in leprosy control. While the study investigated a wide range of gender differences in the impact of leprosy, this article focuses on only two-marriage and family reactions. Important gender differences were apparent in the impact of the disease. While both men and women were negatively affected in terms of their family and marital lives, women suffered more isolation and rejection. Psychologically, women appeared more vulnerable because they were deprived of personal contact with others in the domestic environment where they were accustomed to receiving their greatest emotional rewards. Women reported that indifference to them by other family members, or seeming negation of their presence, caused them the greatest suffering. This underscores the importance of providing information to both leprosy patients and their families about the disease and its treatment, including the possibility of cure with MDT (multi-drug therapy) and of counselling family members about their crucial role in helping patients cope and recover. This support is even more critical for women, who often lack access to the variety of outside advice and assistance available to men. The evidence presented in the article demonstrates the importance of analysing leprosy from a gender perspective, not only because this approach helps to inform our understanding of the determinants and consequences of the disease, but also because it provides new insights for improved disease control.</p>  a0379-8070