Cured leprosy sufferers talk about stigma

Lifelines health hero Rachna Kumari explains that she understands those living in the colony well as she suffered from the same crippling stigma when she discovered she had leprosy.

“I just say one thing to people with leprosy,” says Rachna. “We have to bring them into mainstream life without any discrimination.”

Another woman explains how her mother, discovering her daughter had leprosy, bought poison for both of them to drink. She was forced to leave her family for a life of social exclusion rather than die.

Lifelines: The Quest for Global Health aired on Al Jazeera in 2014. ‘Ancient Enemy’ the seventh film in the series focusing on leprosy in India. You can watch it online here.