- International Armadillo Day is on 13th August, being used to raise awareness about leprosy in Australia
- Armadillos are among the few animals that can contract and transmit leprosy to humans
- Leprosy is an ancient disease affecting the nervous system, but is fully curable with modern drug treatments developed since the 1980s
- The Leprosy Mission Australia aims to use this day to remind Australians that leprosy still exists and requires support for treatment
- The campaign directs people to stillathing.org to learn more about helping eliminate leprosy globally
Wednesday 13th August is International Armadillo Day. It hasn’t been a feature on the Australian calendar because there are no armadillos here outside of the zoo! And don’t we have enough official ‘Days’ already?
But The Leprosy Mission Australia begs to differ.
Armadillos are one of the few animals other than humans that can contract leprosy.
And they are probably the only animal that can transmit this ancient and feared disease to human beings. Don’t worry—you have to live around them and possibly even eat them in order to be at risk. But it does happen.
The armadillo can play a big role in raising awareness that leprosy still exists among human beings as well. And observing leprosy in armadillos helps with improving treatments for people, too.
As one of the oldest recorded human diseases, leprosy is caused by a slow-growing bacteria that can ravage the nervous system and inflict horrendous and irreversible disabilities.
The good news is that it can be cured—and cured easily. Since the 1980s we have had drug treatments that stop leprosy in its tracks. We’ve also developed better ways of detecting it in hospitals and in the field. And we’ve started to change the stigma around leprosy that has left millions of people outcast and abandoned since biblical times.
We just need to keep going in order to eliminate this disease globally.
That’s why The Leprosy Mission Australia wants to use International Armadillo Day on the 13th August to remind Australians that yes, leprosy is “still a thing”. The Leprosy Mission wants Australians to know that we have the cure for it, and that we need your support to ensure that people suffering from this 4000-year-old ailment can receive the care they need.
Let’s put International Armadillo Day on the Aussie map and put an end to leprosy during our lifetime. Visit stillathing.org to find out more.
Interviews:
Dr Greg Clarke, CEO of The Leprosy Mission Australia, is available for interviews on Wed 13th August. Email Greg directly at [email protected] or call 0480 547 642.
About us:
The Leprosy Mission is a 150-year-old charity getting close to completing its mission to defeat leprosy and transform the lives of sufferers around the world. Visit www.stillathing.org to find our about our work!
Contact details:
Interviews:
Dr Greg Clarke, CEO of The Leprosy Mission Australia, is available for interviews on Wed 13th August. Email Greg directly at [email protected] or call 0480 547 642.
