Video for leprosy training

Leprosy Mailing List – February 17^th, 2011

Ref.:   Video for leprosy training
From: Mondjo A., Libreville , Gabon

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Dear Dr Noto,

Thank you very much to Dr Annick Engelhard for her leprosy mailing list message dated January 19th, 2011.  I would like to share with her our recent experience in Gabon about the use of little video material during the last workshop for health services managers in charge of the leprosy programme at the intermediary level ( Libreville , 13-16 December 2010).

For leprosy new cases are very few in our country (almost 39 this year) and for many other operational reasons it was very difficult to organize a training session with real patients.   So beside usual illustrations (slides incorporated in PPT presentations) we use little movies (during less than half a minute) to demonstrate :  

1°) how to highlight the lack of sensibility of dermatologic patches or others ;

2°) how to realize a BNS (Standardized neurologic check up) in order to determine the Yeux-Mains-Pieds (eye-hand-foot) score  (i.e. ISF).

Please note that this kind of movies can be incorporated in PPT presentations and that they could be useful at the peripheral level too.   During the same workshop we also project a short passage of a TV documentary about leprosy to emphasize incapacities, discrimination and in which manner leprosy still affect cured people and their families.

Last year, for the world leprosy day, we send to the different Regions a copy of the film “Bâtir un monde sans leper” (Build a world without leprosy).  I consider that such a film is useful for health workers too.   My opinion is that looking at (and listening to) movies help, more than static and silent photos, to realize that “leprosy cases”, “handicapped persons” and members of their family are above all persons with feelings, wishes, opinions … and so should help to reduce discrimination.

Dr Annick MONDJO

National Manager of the Leprosy Programme

BP 50,   Libreville ( Gabon )