Providing care to persons with stigmatised illnesses

Public health challenges such as AIDS, tuberculosis, plague, and leprosy have implicitly assumed stigmatisation of patients. This article is about stigmatised illnesses, a disease where patients face medical and social challenges. Today, diseases such as leprosy, TB are curable if detected early. However, the social problem of stigma still persists. Why is it that despite the availability of treatment, persons with diseases continue to be ostracised by the community? What is the role of the health-workers? Should they be effective distributor of medicines and methods of cure or should they also empower the community to examine and reflect upon this medical cum sociological phenomenon and help the community to devise methods of providing cure as well as providing care? What are the best practices the community can follow to deal with leprosy and its social ramifications? Importantly, what are the implications for participatory communication and for effective interventions in the future? This article discusses several core themes that suggest some answers to these questions.