Kathmandu: A group of Nepalese leprosy
sufferers is training to climb Mount Everest in an effort to
raise awareness and remove the stigma surrounding the disease,
expedition organisers said on Thursday.
Leprosy affects about 160,000 people in impoverished
Nepal, where superstitions about the disease often lead to the
persecution of victims.
"The purpose of this expedition is to raise awareness
internationally and nationally that leprosy is still endemic
in Nepal, and that many affected need long-term care,"
expedition organiser Raj Kumar Shah told agency.
"The message we want to put across is that even people
with a disability can climb mountains."
Around 15 sufferers will train for the expedition, but
just five will be chosen for the final ascent to the summit in
the spring of 2011.
READ Nepal, a local charity working with leprosy victims,
is attempting to raise USD 1,60,000 to fund the expedition,
which will be led by four-time summiteer Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa.
Leprosy is a slow-progressing bacterial infection that
affects the skin, peripheral nerves in the hands and feet, and
mucous membranes of the nose, throat and eyes.
Nepal has had some progress in reducing the prevalence of
the disease and in January the government said the number of
patients had fallen below one in 10,000 of the population, the
World Health Organisation standard for declaring it
eliminated.
PTI
