Dying Disease

Dying Disease

The second body of work documents some of the final stages of the world’s oldest disease. With commitment and assistance from international drug companies, and cross-national governmental bodies, the World Health Organisation (WHO) expects this curable, pre-biblical disease, leprosy, to be eradicated by 2010.

One six-month course of universally-free treatment will cure, but not reverse, the effects of leprosy and has predominantly removed the need for leprosariums (leper colonies), thereby removing the dramatic physical and social impacts of leprosy.

The images are taken from one of the last leprosariums in West Africa. The individuals living there were mainly infected with leprosy between the 1950s-60s. After their forced or self-imposed segregation from society, they sought refuge in the Weji leprosarium, where they formed a community of support for themselves. Most of these individuals have lived here for over 40 years and feel that due to their disfigurements, they would not be able to cope with re-integration into society. However, they conveyed to me that their lives were happy and peaceful and they are overjoyed to know that they will be some of the last people to have their lives irreversible blighted by this dying disease.