SBH reage às declarações de discurso preconceituoso de ministro italiano sobre hanseníase

A Sociedade Brasileira de Hansenologia (SBH), sociedade médica com mais de sete décadas de atuação no Brasil, soma voz com organizações internacionais e cidadãos de vários países indignados com discurso que teria sido proferido pelo ministro das Relações Exteriores da Itália, Luigi Di Maio. Segundo a imprensa internacional, Di Maio teria dito que a Itália não deve ser tratada como uma colônia de leprosos devido ao coronavírus.

A reação da comunidade internacional foi imediata e já circula na imprensa e redes sociais uma carta aberta ao ministro italiano assinada por organizações e pessoas afetadas pela hanseníase, também conhecida como lepra, alertando para o problema do preconceito contra a doença.

O dermatologista Claudio Salgado, presidente da SBH, professor titular na Universidade Federal do Pará, hansenologista e doutor em Imunologia da Pele pela Universidade de Tóquio, pede que a sociedade reaja imediatamente a este tipo de declaração. “A hanseníase é uma doença curável, no Brasil e em muitos países, a pessoa diagnosticada com a doença inicia tratamento imediatamente e em tratamento não transmite mais o bacilo. Porém, no Brasil e em muitos países ainda temos escolas repudiando crianças com hanseníase, editais negando acesso a pacientes de hanseníase e governos e instituições de olhos fechados para o preconceito que ignora direitos humanos e também atravanca o desenvolvimento rumo a uma sociedade mais justa”.

O Brasil é o segundo país com mais casos de hanseníase – dos 200 mil casos diagnosticados anualmente no mundo, 30 mil são notificados no Brasil. Porém, a SBH alerta que o país tenha de 3 a 5 vezes mais casos da doença.

Em 2019, a SBH entregou um documento com cerca de 40 páginas à Relatoria Especial das Nações Unidas para a Eliminação da Discriminação das Pessoas Afetadas pela Hanseníase e seus Familiares. A Sociedade listou várias formas de preconceito que ainda perduram no Brasil contra essas pessoas. A relatora Alice Cruz recebeu o documento pessoalmente em visita ao Brasil.

Segue a carta aberta ao ministro italiano na íntegra.

Open Letter to Minister Luigi Di Maio

Open letter to Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, organised by an informal, global network of people affected by leprosy.

Dear Minister,

As women and men who have experienced Hansen’s disease, more commonly known as leprosy, we were disheartened to read international media reports today that quote you as calling on other nations to not "treat Italy as a leper colony due to coronavirus"

Other national and international leaders have used similar language in high profile speeches over the past.

While it might be good at grabbing headlines, the use of ‘leprosy’ as a negative metaphor has consequences far beyond the political realm, because it perpetuates old and outdated stereotypes and reinforces stigma and discrimination against us, people affected by leprosy.

Leprosy is not a disease of the past. More than 200,000 people are diagnosed each year with leprosy, and there are believed to be more than two million people affected by leprosy who are undiagnosed and untreated. The negative social attitudes towards people with leprosy create a barrier to treatment, and hinder efforts to stop the transmission of the disease globally.

Leprosy is a curable disease. However, women and men affected by this disease are still marginalized and excluded in many places around the globe. We ourselves have experienced being isolated by family and friends, fired from jobs, discriminated and insulted by people and many other violations of our human rights. That’s why we are working hard every day to change this reality in every community.

Women and men affected by leprosy are people with hopes and dreams like everyone else. Most people affected just dream of a normal life: A place to live and work peacefully, surrounded by their family and friends. They do not want to be defined by their disease.

It is fundamental to ensure that the word leprosy is always used without the burden of stigma. Some countries already took the initiative to change the name of the disease. However, while such change does not take place all over the world, public figures and authorities have the duty to be careful with the thousands of persons affected and the millions that had their lives impacted by this disease worldwide.

We therefore respectfully ask you to not use leprosy as a negative metaphor, and to instead support people in France, Europe and around the globe fighting to stop discrimination against people affected by leprosy.

We are nevertheless convinced that this form of discrimination against us was not the objective of your statement. Yet that’s the effect it has had on us. Confident in your good will, a few of us would be very happy and honored to meet you and discuss more.

In the name of women, children and men affected by leprosy around the globe, Organizations and groups of people affected by leprosy:
HANDA (China)
IDEA Nepal
PERMATA (Indonesia)
Sam Utthan Apal Bihar (India)
FELEHANSEN (Colombia)
HEAL Disability Initiative (Nigeria)
IDEA Ghana
Morhan (Brasil)
Purple Hope initiative (Nigeria)
IDEA Nigeria
ENAPAL (Ethiopia)
APAL (India)
Comunidad de Apoyo (Paraguay)
ILEP Panel of Women and Men affected by Leprosy
Global Leprosy Champions
IDEA INTERNATIONAL

Women and men affected by leprosy:
Evelyne Leandro
Lilibeth Nwakaego Evarestus
Rachna Kumari
Jayashree P Kunju
L H Subodha Galahitiyawa
Amar Timalsina
José Ramirez
Mathias Duck
Mohan Arikonda
Ganesh Muthusamy
Sathya Arikonda
Linda Lehman
Braj Kishor Prasad
Sanjay Kumar
Anand Raj
Lucrecia Vazquez
Mainas Ayuba
Kofi Nyarko
Paula Brandao
Suresh Dhongde
Yurani Granada Lopez
Sofia Castañeda
Isaias Dussan
Felicita Bogado
Jimoh Hammed

O documento compartilha este link da imprensa italiana: 
https://www.politico.eu/article/dont-treat-italy-as-a-leper-colony-due-to-coronavirus-says-minister/