The commemoration of the last week of January as World Leprosy Week provides an important opportunity to raise awareness about leprosy. As old as human history itself, leprosy remains one of the most misunderstood diseases, despite being treatable today, and continues to be associated with stigma.
Leprosy is a chronic and treatable infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It may gradually disappear in societies where healthy housing conditions are ensured, adequate and balanced nutrition is available, population density is low, and personal and public health protection measures are effectively implemented. In this context, the last week of January is observed as World Leprosy Week, and the last Sunday of the month is commemorated as World Leprosy Day.
As also stated in the February 2025 Monthly News and Events Bulletin of our Faculty, an event titled “A Disease in the Shadow of Stigma: Leprosy, Hello to Life!” was organized on February 24, 2025, through the collaboration of the Faculty of Health Sciences Departments of Nursing, Social Work, and Orthotics-Prosthetics, with the internal partnership of the Social Responsibility Application and Research Center and the Nursing and Social Work Student Clubs. Zelal Kocaboğa, President of the Student Nurses Association (ÖHD) and a third-year Nursing Department student, stated on various occasions that the event had a profound impact on students and that repeating it would be highly beneficial.
Based on this feedback, following meetings with the Association for the Fight Against Leprosy, a Visit to the Association for the Fight Against Leprosy and the Türkan Saylan – Leprosy Memorial House was carried out on November 6, 2025, with the participation of sixteen volunteer nursing students.
Within the scope of the visit, the Leprosy Memorial House was toured under the guidance and attentive hosting of Gülşah Gümüş Akın, Archaeologist and Volunteer of the Association for the Fight Against Leprosy. Students’ questions were answered, and detailed information about the association’s activities was provided. The event was further enriched by a presentation delivered by İstanbul Gelişim University Faculty of Health Sciences Nursing Department Lecturer A. Mücella Soydan, titled “A Public Health Study: Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) and Its Social Dimension from the Perspective of a Rural Development Model.”
In the evaluation text written on behalf of the Nursing Department students by Zelal Kocaboğa, it was emphasized that the fight against leprosy is not only a medical issue but also a multidimensional process requiring human rights awareness, empathy, and social sensitivity. Witnessing the historical process firsthand and observing the role and importance of the nursing profession in public health were stated to have made a significant contribution to students’ professional awareness and consciousness.
Gülşah Gümüş Akın, Volunteer of the Association for the Fight Against Leprosy, expressed their satisfaction in hosting this meaningful visit and stated that the presentation delivered by Lecturer A. Mücella Soydan, which brought together scientific and humanitarian perspectives for young people, was highly inspiring. She also thanked all participating students.
This visit, carried out on the occasion of World Leprosy Week, contributed to increasing public awareness of leprosy, reducing stigma, and supporting the education of future healthcare professionals with a strong sense of social responsibility.
Lecturer Ayşe Mücella SOYDAN
İstanbul Gelişim University
Faculty of Health Sciences
Department of Nursing
