Lecture points out Robben Island’s past as a leper colony

THE social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially the isolation of patients and the initial stigma associated with the illness in some areas, has been compared to that surrounding leprosy.

The comparisons were made during the fifth annual Robben Island Museum (RIM) memorial lecture on Friday night, which focused on the island’s past as a leper colony.

Infectious disease expert Dr Harlem Gongxeka, who is also the chief radiologist at Livingstone Tertiary Hospital, set the ball rolling. On the controversial issue of whether there really are any similarities between leprosy and Covid-19, he said contraction of the diseases and their infectious nature are similar, but it can take up to 20 years for leprosy to become visible in some patients.

With modern treatment, isolation of leprosy patients was no longer necessary. On the other hand, Covid-19 was highly contagious and deadly. The incubation period is within days and immediate self-isolation is required to stop it spreading to contacts.

As for stigma, Leprosy Mission Southern Africa director Peter Laubscher drew strong parallels between the stigma attached to leprosy, HIV/ Aids, Covid-19 and monkeypox. HIV/ Aids, Covid-19 and monkeypox have been referred to as “the new leprosy” which in itself led to stigma, he said.

Other speakers included Irish anti-apartheid missionary Father Richard O’riordan, who spoke of leprosy patients being exiled during biblical times. The compulsory segregation of leprosy patients ended in the 1970s, and legal restrictions on their movement were lifted in recent decades, yet today there are still more than 100 laws world-wide that place sanctions on leprosy patients.