Jordan has been praised for a “historic milestone” in eliminating the age-old affliction
Jordan has become the first country in the world to have eliminated leprosy, the World Health Organization announced on Thursday.
No leprosy cases of local origin have been reported in the Middle Eastern country for over 20 years, an independent team commissioned by the WHO has verified.
“This success was made possible by the leadership of the Ministry of Health, strong collaboration between WHO and the Ministry, and technical support provided by WHO at all three levels,” Dr. Jamela Al-Raiby, the WHO representative to Jordan, said on Thursday.
“Jordan’s elimination of this age-old disease is a historic milestone in public health and a huge success for efforts to eliminate leprosy globally,” said Saima Wazed, WHO’s regional director for Southeast Asia and head of the organization’s Global Leprosy Program.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also praised the government in Amman for the “impressive milestone” in public health.
“Leprosy has afflicted humanity for millennia, but country-by-country we are stopping transmission and freeing individuals, families and communities from its suffering and stigma,” Tedros said.
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