China allows entry of leprosy patients ahead of Olympics
24/7/2008 17:15
China lifted its ban on the entry of foreign leprosy sufferers yesterday,
two weeks ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Leprosy sufferers and their
relatives from other countries can enter China starting from July 20, according
to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
(GAQSIQ).
The decision came two months after the organizing committee of the
Beijing Olympic Games revealed a guideline on June 2 that blacklisted anyone
suffering leprosy, mental illness, a sexually transmitted disease, open
pulmonary tuberculosis and those who may commit terrorist acts from coming into
China during the Olympic Games from Aug. 8 to 24.
"The reason we lifted the
ban is that UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on June 18 for the
elimination of discrimination against leprosy sufferers," an official with the
Department of Supervision on Health Quaratine of GAQSIQ told Xinhua
today.
The official who refused to be named said the new rules would remain
in force after the Olympics.
Leprosy is a chronic disease which can cause
nerve damage, leading to muscle weakness and atrophy, and permanent
disability.
According to the World Health Organization, the disease is
transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth of untreated patients, but is
not highly infectious.
At the beginning of last year, 224,717 cases were
recorded globally.
China banned the entry of foreign sufferers of leprosy,
mental illness, sexually transmitted disease, HIV, and open pulmonary
tuberculosis in 1989.
Xinhua
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