Archbishop Wilson calls for Covid vaccine to be given to the most marginalised in poor countries

Image: Arun Arun Kumar

The Archbishop of Southwark, the Most Reverend John Wilson, has called for Governments to develop special strategies to ensure that marginalised and stigmatised communities, including people with leprosy, receive the same advantages of Covid-19 vaccines as the rest of society.

"We know from the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom that protecting the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable is a priority," said Archbishop Wilson. "As soon as vaccines against Covid-19 are available to every country, it is vitally important that disadvantaged communities, such as those affected by leprosy, are enabled to receive the same benefits from vaccination as the rest of society."

"From our work with leprosy affected communities across the globe, we know that people with leprosy are so often cut off entirely from society, impoverished, living in cramped and desperate conditions with little access to running water," said Director of the St Francis Leprosy Guild, Clare McIntosh. "It is important that Governments have specific strategies in place to ensure that disadvantaged communities benefit from the same outcomes of Covid-19 vaccines as everyone else. For example, some cities are making vaccines available to vulnerable communities using mobile clinics. A mobile programme enables those individuals who are unable to travel and perhaps live-in remote locations to receive the Covid-19 vaccine."

Speaking on behalf of a leprosy community outside New Delhi, advocate Arun Kumar said: "People with leprosy would be the last people on earth to receive a Covid-19 vaccine and people with leprosy AND Covid-19 suffer the injustice of "double-discrimination". We need proactive Covid-19 vaccine support for the leprosy community here. They have been isolated and left with nothing during the lockdown. They have had to beg to survive. We must make sure that these people benefit from the Covid-19 vaccine in the same way as other members of society."

The social circumstances in which people with leprosy live in make them more exposed to Covid-19. Their level of poverty means they are less likely to have access to running water and other hygiene measures. People with leprosy report that because they are so stigmatised and discriminated against, that when they are seeking Covid-19 related aid such as medical help, or food aid, they often receive less assistance than those without leprosy.

In some countries, there is not only stigma against persons affected by leprosy, but also against people affected by Covid-19, especially against surviving families after someone has died from Covid-19. If a person affected by leprosy were to contract Covid-19, the compounded stigma may prevent them or their family from coming forwards to receive medical assistance.
If left untreated, leprosy can cause visible disability, disfigurement, and poverty. As a result, many people fear catching the disease, which often means that leprosy-affected people are subjected to stigma and discrimination. In addition, outdated laws mean that people with leprosy can be forcibly pushed out of their homes, families, livelihoods and places of work. In some parts of the world, leprosy is grounds for divorce. Due to this terrible discrimination, people with leprosy may not come forwards for medical treatment, putting themselves at greater risk.

The UK government has purchased more than double the quantity of vaccines that are needed to treat everyone in the UK. It is widely expected that in a few months, the Government will donate millions of vaccines to less developed countries, probably through the COVAX scheme.

The bishops continue to pray for an end to the pandemic, for fair and person-centred access to treatment, and for those working tirelessly on the front line to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

LINK

Sr Francis Leprosy Mission - www.stfrancisleprosy.org/