DOH, Albay, Novartis join triathletes in ‘Last Mile’ to eliminate leprosy

Some of the world’s top triathletes ran while local leprosy control advocates walked to call for intensified global efforts to eliminate leprosy.

Officials of the Department of Health (DOH), Albay province and the Novartis Foundation led “The Last Mile” symbolic walk during the Xterra Off-Road Triathlon Philippine Championship, which was held last Feb. 7 in and around Legazpi City in Albay.

Xterra is the world’s premiere off-road triathlon series.

Year 2016 marks 30 years of commitment by the Novartis Foundation to support people affected by leprosy and to eliminate the disease. More than 200,000 people are diagnosed with leprosy every year – approximately 10 percent of those are children– indicating continued spread of the disease.

With arms linked to signify their unified commitment to leprosy elimination, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, Health Assistant Secretary Nestor Santiago, DOH Region V director Napoleon Arevalo, assistant director Ernie Vera and Novartis Philippines corporate affairs head Christine Fajardo led the symbolic walk around the historic Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga, Albay. Former residents of the Bicol Sanitarium joined the walk – living proofs that leprosy is curable and disabilities are preventable if the disease is diagnosed and treated early.

The international event drew 230 top-level triathletes from the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, France, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The course consisted of a 1.5-kilometer swim in the calm but deep waters of Mayon River; a 32-kilometer bike trail through fire roads, grasslands, and sandy and rocky terrain; and a nine-kilometer run across rocky and sandy areas, a riverbed and grasslands.

Before the start of the race, the triathletes signed “The Last Mile” commitment wall and dedicated the last mile of the race to the elimination of leprosy. In signing the commitment wall, they pledged their support to the attainment of the 2016 World Leprosy Day theme, “A Leprosy-Free Philippines: Let’s make it happen.”

“The dream of the Novartis Foundation is that we see the day when the number of people newly diagnosed with leprosy – especially children – is zero,” said Dr. Ann Aerts, head of the Novartis Foundation. “Though we have seen a large reduction in the prevalence of the disease in the last 30 years, we cannot stop now. The last mile to eliminate leprosy will be tough, and to succeed we need greater awareness, more resources, and innovation. It is important for leprosy to be put back on the global health agenda to make this happen.”

The challenge of the last mile in the fight against leprosy is to interrupt transmission.