"Eliminated" means <1 infection : 10,000 citizens. In a nation of 1.2 billion, that's still a lot of leprosy. posted by Sys Rq at 2:38 PM on July 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Based on the title of this post, I suspect you buried what you intended to be your lede. posted by hippybear at 2:52 PM on July 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
[you know the drill -- early threadshitting from people who haven't read the links who want to just grind their own axes will be removed and you will be politely requested to take that up in MetaTalk or on some other non-MetaFilter internet space. Thanks.] posted by jessamyn at 3:10 PM on July 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
So, I keep running into information similar to this, which states that Novartis gave a donation which funds the supply of Multiple Drug Therapy blisterpacks of leprosy treatment available to endemic countries until 2010... but then nothing beyond that.
Are these drugs still being supplied free of charge to endemic countries to use to cure leprosy? It's difficult to tell. If not, I hope that starts up again. Someone should tell The Gates Foundation or something. It's probably a tiny droplet of funding in the giant river of money they give out every year. posted by hippybear at 3:27 PM on July 24, 2011
It's wrong, but LEPER spelled backwards is REPEL. posted by twoleftfeet at 3:52 PM on July 24, 2011
You know, I'm not big on religion; but if one religion is helping you, providing you with housing and medical care while your own is calling you "unclean" and "impure," why wouldn't you convert? posted by sonic meat machine at 4:05 PM on July 24, 2011 [12 favorites]
Just wait until Jenny McCarthy goes there. posted by stormpooper at 4:59 PM on July 24, 2011
Despite being generally opposed to the Church, I've got to say that's remarkably awful behavior on the part of India.
"Thanks for 30 years of helping the lepers that the local religions won't help, don't let the door hit you on the way out!"
I get that Indians are upset at secret baptisms, forced conversions, etc; Mother Theresa did a lot of harm and so does the general attitude of the Church. But it's still really nasty of the government to pull this kind of crap.
Especially given the staggering mistreatment and ostracism of lepers in India. They're prohibited from obtaining driver's licenses, they're prohibited from traveling by train, and in five states they're legally barred from running in local elections (a prohibition that has been upheld by the Indian Supreme Court).
If the Roman Catholic Church is willing to help, well I don't like the Church but I still say yay, and I say boo to the people driving them out. posted by sotonohito at 6:24 PM on July 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
Several things stand out for me about this issue. 1 Hindus think lepers are dirty.
Christians going all the way back
to Jesus have an honorable tradition of helping lepers.
Then there is the little matter of the
BJP, not nice people. It is not only lepers and various Christians being
harassed, lower caste Hindus get harassed. In fact the harassment of
Protestant Christians, Muslims and Budhists is really a way ofcontinuing the war on lower caste Hindus. Many become Christian or Muslim and Budhism is enjoying a resurgence in India, because all three faiths reject caste and teach people to help the sick. posted by Katjusa Roquette at 7:29 PM on July 24, 2011 [4 favorites]
On the one hand, the BJP are shitcocks. On the other hand:
I get that Indians are upset at secret baptisms, forced conversions, etc; Mother Theresa did a lot of harm and so does the general attitude of the Church. But it's still really nasty of the government to pull this kind of crap.
Would you tell Jews upset to just, you know, "get over" the secret baptisms and forced conversions? I don't personally set much store by religion, but I get that those are not small things for people who do. posted by rodgerd at 10:49 PM on July 24, 2011
Why is it when the some derivation of the word "people" appears in a political party, when they get into power you can pretty much count on that being who is about to get the shit kicked out of them. posted by Kid Charlemagne at 5:18 AM on July 25, 2011
rodgerd No, and that's not what I'm suggesting the people in India should do either.
But dealing with the problems of secret baptism does not have to involve fucking over the Catholics who are doing good things.
I'm pretty virulently against the Catholic Church, but I still recognize that the BJP are being completely obnoxious here. posted by sotonohito at 6:23 AM on July 25, 2011
I heard that in Sri Lanka the Buddhists, before the illegal genocide of the Tamils/war thing, claimed that Christians were practising 'forced conversions'. Given that in India a woman is assumed to be whatever the religion of her husband is once she marries, without consent (in practise, not in theory/law), and that this 'forced conversions' claim is incited everywhere religious hatred is except in the first world, because we don't believe you can be magically forced because we don't believe in magic, i'd pay the claims little heed. And no, i'm not a fan of the condom-lying-about, kiddy-fiddling aspects of the church, but a lot of religious people give a lot of service. I think it's more common amongst religious people than irreligious, because you live under this guilt trip...talking nonsense now, will go. posted by maiamaia at 2:36 PM on July 25, 2011
maiamaiawrites"that this 'forced conversions' claim is incited everywhere religious hatred is except in the first world, because we don't believe you can be magically forced because we don't believe in magic"
There was a big thread about this in the guise of secretive retro active Mormon Baptisms just last month. The issue seems alive and well in the US. Or at least the belief that one can be magically forced to convert to a religion against one's will. posted by Mitheral at 4:20 PM on July 25, 2011
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